EVALUATION REPORT 

2009 NRC Safety Culture and 

Climate Survey 

OIG-09-A-18 September 30, 2009 

All publicly available OIG reports (including this report) are accessible through 

NRC’s Web site at: 

http:/www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/insp-gen/ 
UNITED STATES 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20555-0001 

OFFICE OF THE 

INSPECTOR GENERAL 

 September 30, 2009 

MEMORANDUM TO: R. William Borchardt 

 Executive Director for Operations 

 J.E. Dyer 

 Chief Financial Officer 

FROM: Stephen D. Dingbaum /RA/ 

 Assistant Inspector General for Audits 

SUBJECT: 2009 NRC SAFETY CULTURE AND CLIMATE 

SURVEY (OIG-09-A-18) 

The attached report presents the results of the 2009 NRC Safety Culture and 

Climate Survey. Survey results were presented during briefings to the Chairman, 

Commissioners, and agency senior managers as well as to all employees on 

September 30, 2009. 

We appreciate the courtesies and cooperation extended to us by members of 

your staff during the survey. If you have any questions or comments about this 

report, please feel free to contact me at 301-415-5915, or Steven Zane, Team 

Leader, at 301-415-5912. 

Attachment: As stated 
Electronic Distribution

Edwin M. Hackett, Executive Director, Advisory Committee on Reactor 

 Safeguards 

E. Roy Hawkens, Chief Administrative Judge, Atomic Safety and 

 Licensing Board Panel 

Stephen G. Burns, General Counsel 

Brooke D. Poole, Jr., Director, Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication 

James E. Dyer, Chief Financial Officer 

Margaret M. Doane, Director, Office of International Programs 

Rebecca L. Schmidt, Director, Office of Congressional Affairs 

Eliot B. Brenner, Director, Office of Public Affairs 

Annette Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission 

R. William Borchardt, Executive Director for Operations 

Bruce S. Mallett, Deputy Executive Director for Reactor 

 and Preparedness Programs, OEDO 

Martin J. Virgilio, Deputy Executive Director for Materials, Waste, Research, 

 State, Tribal, and Compliance Programs, OEDO 

Darren B. Ash, Deputy Executive Director for Corporate Management 

 and Chief Information Officer, OEDO 

Vonna L. Ordaz, Assistant for Operations, OEDO 

Kathryn O. Greene, Director, Office of Administration 

Patrick D. Howard, Director, Computer Security Officer 

Cynthia A. Carpenter, Director, Office of Enforcement 

Charles L. Miller, Director, Office of Federal and State Materials 

 and Environmental Management Programs 

Guy P. Caputo, Director, Office of Investigations 

Thomas M. Boyce, Director, Office of Information Services 

James F. McDermott, Director, Office of Human Resources 

Michael R. Johnson, Director, Office of New Reactors 

Michael F. Weber, Director, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards 

Eric J. Leeds, Director, Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 

Brian W. Sheron, Director, Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research 

Corenthis B. Kelley, Director, Office of Small Business and Civil Rights 

Roy P. Zimmerman, Director, Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

Samuel J. Collins, Regional Administrator, Region I 

Luis A. Reyes, Regional Administrator, Region II 

Mark A. Satorius, Regional Administrator, Region III 

Elmo E. Collins, Jr., Regional Administrator, Region IV 
©2008 Towers Perrin

© 2009 Towers Perrin-ISR 

Office of the Inspector General 

NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey 

Executive Summary 

September 2009

Prepared by Towers Perrin-ISR 

303 East Ohio, Ste. 2100 

Chicago, Illinois 60611 

www.towersperrin.com 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

Table of Contents 

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS....................................................................................................3 

PURPOSE OF SURVEY AND BACKGROUND.......................................................................................5

SURVEY DESIGN.............................................................................................................................6

SURVEY RESULTS IN BRIEF.............................................................................................................7

Survey Administration Summary ..........................................................................................7

External Benchmark Summary.............................................................................................7

Historical Comparison Summary ..........................................................................................7

Internal Comparison Summary.............................................................................................8

Survey Results Summary .....................................................................................................9

INTERVIEW FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................10

Agency’s Primary Mission and Objectives..........................................................................10

Challenges to Agency’s Future Success ............................................................................11

NRC Image.........................................................................................................................11

Quality Focus......................................................................................................................11

Workload.............................................................................................................................12

Empowerment.....................................................................................................................12

Diversity and Inclusion........................................................................................................12

Performance Management (e.g., Review Process) ............................................................12

Retirement of Staff and Recruitment of Individuals ............................................................12

Knowledge Transfer............................................................................................................13

Career Development and Training......................................................................................13

Career Advancement..........................................................................................................13

Budget (e.g., CR)................................................................................................................14

Communication...................................................................................................................14

Management.......................................................................................................................14

IT Support...........................................................................................................................14

Conclusion of Qualitative Interview Results........................................................................15
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

SURVEY DEVELOPMENT / PRETEST ...............................................................................................16

Survey Categories ..............................................................................................................16

SURVEY ADMINISTRATION.............................................................................................................19

OVERALL CATEGORY SCORES......................................................................................................20

COMPARISON OF NRC WITH THE U.S. NATIONAL NORM ................................................................21

COMPARISON OF NRC WITH U.S. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NORM ......................................23

COMPARISON OF NRC WITH U.S. HIGH PERFORMANCE NORM ......................................................24

COMPARISON OF NRC 2009 RESULTS WITH NRC 2005 RESULTS .................................................25

COMPARISON OF NRC 2009 RESULTS WITH NRC 2002 RESULTS .................................................26

COMPARISON OF NRC 2009 RESULTS WITH NRC 1998 RESULTS .................................................27

INTERNAL COMPARISONS .............................................................................................................28

Office Comparisons ............................................................................................................29

Office Historical Comparisons ............................................................................................32

Grade Level Comparisons..................................................................................................35

Job Category Comparisons ................................................................................................36

Job Function Comparisons.................................................................................................37

Length of Service Comparisons..........................................................................................38

Senior Resident Inspectors Versus Resident Inspectors....................................................39

KEY DRIVER ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................40

CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................47
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 

The following table includes a list of abbreviations and acronyms in this report. 

Acronym Full Name 

ACRS Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards 

ADM Office of Administration 

ASLBP Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel 

CR Continuing Resolution 

Dev Development 

Diff Difference 

DPO Differing Professional Opinion Program 

EDO Executive Director for Operations 

GG General Grade 

HR/SBCR/CSU Office of Human Resources/Office of Small Business and Civil 

Rights/ Central Support Unit 

Fav. Favorable

FSME Office of Federal and State Materials and Environmental Management 

Programs 

ISR International Survey Research

IT Information Technology

N N-size; number of respondents

N/A Not Available or Not Applicable; not able to compare the item or 

category to the norm or internal comparison 

NMSS Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards 

NRC Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

NRO Office of New Reactors 

NRR Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation

NSIR Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response 

OCA Office of Congressional Affairs

OCAA Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication

OCFO Office of the Chief Financial Officer

OGC Office of the General Counsel

OEDO Office of the Executive Director for Operations

OE Office of Enforcement

OI Office of Investigations

OIG Office of the Inspector General 

OIP Office of International Programs

OIS Office of Information Services 

OPA Office of Public Affairs

PDC Professional Development Center located in Bethesda, Maryland

Perf. Performance

RES Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

Acronym Full Name 

SECY Office of the Secretary of the Commission 

SES/Executive SVC Senior Executive Service/Executive Level Service 

Towers Perrin-ISR Towers Perrin – International Survey Research

U.S. United States

U.S. R&D United States Research and Development Norm

YR or YRS Year or Years
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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PURPOSE OF SURVEY AND BACKGROUND

For over 10 years, International Survey Research (ISR) has been working with the NRC to assess 

their safety culture and climate as well as other aspects of employee experience such as 

engagement. ISR conducted NRC’s survey in 1998, 2002, and 2005. In 2007, Towers Perrin 

acquired ISR to form Towers Perrin-ISR. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Office of 

the Inspector General (OIG) engaged Towers Perrin-ISR to conduct the 2009 Safety Culture and 

Climate Survey of all agency employees. 

The 2009 Safety Culture and Climate Survey study consisted of four distinct areas: a review of 

the existing research on safety culture and climate; evaluation of the 1998, 2002 and 2005 Safety 

Culture and Climate Survey results; a qualitative design phase where a random sample of NRC 

employees and managers were interviewed; and a quantitative component consisting of a survey 

administered to all NRC employees. NRC in conjunction with Towers Perrin-ISR defined Safety 

Culture and Climate: 

 Safety Culture [as it relates to the agency] refers to the complex sum [or whole] of the 

mission, characteristics, and policies of an organization, and the thoughts and actions of 

its individual members, which establish and support nuclear safety and security as 

overriding priorities. 

 Climate refers to the current work environment of the agency. Climate is like a snapshot 

in time and can affect culture. 

A better understanding of NRC’s safety culture and climate will facilitate identification of 

agency strengths and opportunities for improvement. Agency program and support offices can 

use this information to develop action plans, as warranted. In addition, the OIG plans to use the 

survey results in connection with risk assessments in order to facilitate annual audit planning. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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SURVEY DESIGN

As previously discussed, the 2009 Safety Culture and Climate Survey study consisted of four 

distinct areas. The interviews and Towers Perrin-ISR’s review of the 1998, 2002, and 2005 

Safety Culture and Climate Survey results served as the basis for designing the 2009 

questionnaire. The questions that composed the 2009 survey included selected items from 

Towers Perrin-ISR’s normative database as well as tailored items to address the unique topic of 

NRC’s safety culture and climate. The 2009 study, as a fourth iteration survey, provides the NRC 

with a distinct advantage: a comparison of the 2009 results with historical and norm items used 

in 1998, 2002 and 2005 survey administrations. 

During the survey design process, some survey items were added based on their relevance and on 

the interviews and focus groups. Likewise, some items were removed, because some concepts 

(e.g., Risk-Based Methodologies) are now mature and reflected throughout the agency’s 

regulatory framework. In addition, an inter-item correlation analysis was completed, and some 

items were removed due to high correlation of scores with other survey items. In all, the 2009 

survey contained 145 separate items, as compared with 186 items in 2005. 

After a brief review of the survey results and interview findings, this executive summary will 

highlight the quantitative findings of NRC’s survey results. First, the findings will emphasize 

the overall results, looking at specific areas of strength and opportunities for improvement for the 

NRC. Category-level results will be compared with Towers Perrin-ISR’s U.S. National Norm, 

U.S. Research and Development Norm (U.S. R&D), U.S. High Performance Norm, and the 

2005, 2002 and 1998 NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey Results. The summary will then 

report internal comparisons such as office and regions, job grades, job categories, job functions, 

and years of service. Finally, a detailed analysis is provided that highlights the key findings of 

the Safety Culture and Climate Survey. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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SURVEY RESULTS IN BRIEF

Survey Administration Summary 

The OIG’s NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey was administered from May 4 – May 29, 

2009. All NRC employees and managers were eligible to participate. Of the 3,935 employees 

asked to participate, 3,404 completed surveys, for an overall return rate of 87%. This return is 

significantly higher than previous survey administrations (most recently 71% participation in 

2005) and is more than sufficient to provide a reliable and valid measure of the current attitudes 

and perceptions of NRC employees and managers (Exhibit 1). 

External Benchmark Summary 

When compared to the U.S. National Norm, the overall category profile for the NRC is 

significantly more favorable (utilizing statistical significance at the 95% confidence level, an 

industry standard) in all 15 comparable categories (Exhibit 3). Similarly, when comparing the 

NRC survey scores with the Towers Perrin-ISR U.S. R&D, 15 categories score significantly 

above the norm. The most favorable difference is Training and Development, which is 15 

points above the norm (see Exhibit 4). As the score demonstrates in this comparison, NRC 

employees’ opinions are generally more favorable than what would typically be observed among 

U.S. R&D populations. 

This year’s study provided a new external benchmark comparison; this comparison is the 

Towers Perrin-ISR U.S. High Performance Norm. The Towers Perrin-ISR U.S. High 

Performance Norm is comprised of a weighted average of employee survey results from a 

cross-section of U.S. operating companies. Data are derived from recent client studies 

conducted by Towers Perrin, and companies qualify for the inclusion by meeting two criteria: 

(a) superior financial results relative to industry performance; and (b) superior human resource 

practices, defined by top-quartile employee opinion scores. When compared to this rigorous 

norm, the NRC is significantly more favorable in 12 of the 14 comparable categories. The most 

favorable difference against this norm is Workload and Support, which is 10 points above the 

norm (Exhibit 5). 

Historical Comparison Summary 

The historical comparison of results from 2005 to 2009 looks quite positive, with 16 of 17 

categories significantly more favorable than the 2005 NRC results. The most positive 

improvement since 2005 is the NRC Mission & Strategic Plan, which is 13 points above the 

2005 scores (Exhibit 6). Worth noting, NRC Mission & Strategic Plan experienced a doubledigit improvement of 11 points from 2002 to 2005. This continuous double-digit improvement 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 8

suggests that the NRC Strategic Plan initiative is overwhelmingly well received by participants 

(Exhibit 6 and Exhibit 7). 

It is rare in Towers Perrin-ISR’s experience that scores improve to this degree between survey 

iterations. Efforts to follow up on the survey results from 2002 and 2005 appear to be extremely 

successful and should be communicated across the NRC. NRC employees and leaders alike 

have much to be proud of, given these results. 

Compared to 2002, the NRC has improved in 16 of the 17 categories. The most notable 

improvements were NRC Mission & Strategy and NRC Image, which were significantly more 

favorable in 2009 by 24 points and 23 points respectively. Management leadership also shows a 

major improvement, of 20 points more favorable in 2009 as compared to 2002 (Exhibit 7). 

The most notable historical improvements can be seen in the current 2009 study versus the 

study in 1998, with all 15 categories eligible for comparison showing double-digit 

improvements. Of the 15 categories, nine scored at least 20 points more favorable. Three of 

those categories—NRC Image, NRC Mission & Strategic Pan, and Management Leadership—

scored at least 30 points higher this year (Exhibit 8). 

Internal Comparison Summary 

Examining the NRC data in terms of office distinctions allows an interesting picture to emerge. 

In the comparison of category scores by Office/Division, Office of New Reactors (NRO), Region 

1, and Region IV are significantly more favorable than the NRC overall in two or more 

categories, including categories such as Clarity of Responsibilities, Management Leadership, 

Working Relationships, NRC Mission and Strategic Plan, and Organizational Change. While 

some offices are less favorable than the NRC overall scores, it is important to recognize that 

NRC’s overall scores were higher than the U.S. National, U.S R&D, and U.S. High Performance 

Norms in most categories (Exhibits 9, 10, and 11). 

Employees were also requested to identify their Job Category in the survey. Respondents could 

choose from senior management, middle management, line management, and non-supervisory 

classifications. Differences exist between responses from higher levels of management to the 

survey questions versus responses from line management and non-supervisory classifications. 

This pattern is particularly common among government and private sector organizations alike. 

Responses from senior management and middle management deviate by double-digit differences 

compared with NRC Overall scores (Exhibit 16). 

Among Job Function categories, employees in the Administrative/Support job function tended to 

have higher unfavorable scores when compared to NRC Overall. Conversely, employees in the 

Engineering job function tended to have significantly more favorable scores for many of the 

categories. (Exhibit 17). 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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Survey Results Summary 

In summary, the 2009 OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey results are significantly 

more favorable in all 15 comparable categories when compared to the U.S. National Norm, in all 

15 comparable categories when compared to the U.S. R&D Norm, and in 12 of the 14 

comparable categories when compared to the U.S. High Performance Norm. No categories in 

the 2009 NRC Survey results compared to any of the three norms are significantly less favorable. 

Comparing the 2009 to the 2005 NRC results, 16 of 17 categories have significantly improved, 

from 13 points in NRC Mission & Strategic Plan to 3 points in Workload and Support. The 

remaining category, Organizational Change, did not show any change from the 2005 results. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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INTERVIEW FINDINGS 

As the qualitative design component of the Safety Culture and Climate Survey, Towers PerrinISR, in coordination with OIG staff, conducted on-site and phone interviews and on-site focus 

groups. The interviewees and focus groups were asked questions on a variety of areas. The 

methodology used to create these questions was based on the key driver areas and lower-scoring 

(and some higher-scoring) areas from the 2005 survey, as well as other key factors, such as 

NRC’s key current initiatives. A total of 34 interviews and 29 focus group meetings were 

conducted from February 3 to February 19, 2009. A total of 204 individuals participated in 

interviews and focus group meetings, including 138 at Headquarters in Rockville, 27 at Region II 

in Atlanta, 32 at Region III in Lisle, and 7 by phone. The 204 individuals who were interviewed 

included a cross section of professions such as administrative, security, nuclear engineers, 

managers, and internal safety culture task force. Findings from interviews and focus group 

meetings were used in developing the survey instrument. 

LOCATION NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES 

Region II employees interviewed/focus group participants 27 

Region III employees interviewed/focus group participants 32 

Headquarters employees interviewed/focus group participants 138 

Headquarters, Region I & II employees interviewed by phone 7 

Total - NRC 204

Towers Perrin-ISR used interview guides to assist in conducting interviews and focus groups. 

The following is a summary of the main themes discussed in these meetings. Each of these 

themes includes an overall description or summary. 

Agency’s Primary Mission and Objectives 

Focus group and interview respondents were very positive about the agency’s primary mission 

and objectives. It is believed that the agency’s mission and objectives are very clearly stated and 

understood. Respondents perceive that the agency’s mission and objectives are to successfully 

protect the public. There are some concerns, though, about how the role of politics may impact 

technical decisions in accordance with the NRC’s mission. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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Challenges to Agency’s Future Success 

Three key areas were commonly mentioned as challenges to the agency’s future success. The 

first is that the new administration’s position is unknown. This could affect the agency in terms 

of budget cuts. For example, there may be a need to move people out of the work area associated 

with the licensing of the High Level Waste Repository and place these individuals into other 

areas within the NRC. 

A second concern is the potential lack of skilled workforce, for example, to handle the new 

licenses or increased work. In addition, there is a fear of losing talent both due to retiring 

workers and to talent going to work on new construction and/or government projects. 

The third concern is related to communication and ensuring that all employees feel that they are 

part of the whole agency. This is primarily a concern due to the seven different locations in 

Washington. While there is a potential for this issue to be resolved by a new building, the agency 

needs to continue to make an extra effort around this area. 

NRC Image 

Interview and focus group respondents feel that NRC’s image varies depending on where in the 

agency one works, and perceptions of the public’s opinion about the NRC vary as well. NRC’s 

internal image is perceived as very positive, and many individuals from other government 

entities want to come and work for NRC. NRC’s public image is perceived as being different in 

each region or location. Many interview and focus group respondents feel that the public does 

not understand the NRC’s purpose. In addition, respondents feel that the regions are doing a 

better job speaking with the public compared to headquarters, because regions are required to 

hold town hall meetings. 

Quality Focus 

When asked about quality focus, respondents often mentioned metrics, which state the amount of 

time and resources different projects at the agency should require. Some individuals questioned 

whether the current focus is on maintaining the NRC’s safety culture or on “hitting the metrics.” 

These same individuals feel that metrics often give individuals less time to follow up on tasks or 

notes (e.g., Resident Inspectors). Others believe that metrics are beneficial but individuals need 

to monitor their work throughout the process. If work is continually monitored, then those 

monitoring work will know if additional time is required in advance of the project ending and 

can request extensions as needed. 

Another concern is that requests from Capitol Hill may be assigned a higher priority and 

completed on a faster track than other work. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

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Workload 

The majority of interview and focus group respondents feel that their workload is acceptable, 

with only a few points during the year when workload increases. However, some respondents 

feel that changing priorities by the agency make it difficult to complete work. In addition, 

workload is perceived slightly differently by job level. In general, administrative staff would like 

more work, inspectors feel that their level of work is manageable (though Resident Inspectors 

often feel overworked), and some managers feel a bit overwhelmed. 

Empowerment 

The general consensus is that employee opinions are valued and managers are willing to listen. 

Several programs have been created to help NRC employees voice concerns, including NonConcurrence, Differing Professional Opinion Program (DPO), open door policy, and team 

member award. The team member award is viewed as having the best effect when compared to 

the other programs. Many interview and focus group respondents feel that employees are 

submitting more Non-Concurrences than DPOs because it is perceived by employees that 

submitting a DPO could alter your career at the NRC. The open door policy is perceived as going 

around the chain of command and not as effective. With regard to all of these programs, the 

respondents would like less focus on process and forms and more focus on how the NRC can 

have an open and cooperative work environment. 

Diversity and Inclusion 

The agency is more diversified today than three years ago with respect to ethnicity, age, and 

lifestyle. However, individuals feel that there should be more focus on how the NRC can have an 

open and cooperative work environment. While many employees do feel that their opinions are 

valued, this area should continue to improve. 

Performance Management (e.g., Review Process) 

Respondents expressed strong opinions about the performance management system. Most 

respondents feel that the current performance management system is ineffective, that the scale 

and ratings do not make sense, and the end appraisal is too subjective with inflated and artificial 

results. These same critics feel that a pass/fail system, or not having the review process linked to 

the reward process, would make the review process more effective. 

Retirement of Staff and Recruitment of Individuals 

When Towers Perrin-ISR last spoke with the NRC four years ago, there was a fear that one-third 

of the staff would be retiring within the next five years. While the predicted high numbers of 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 13

staff may not have left (one third) a series of compensating strategies were introduced to address 

the numbers that did leave – the use of new Personnel flexibilities (e.g., increase in the numbers 

of rehired annuitants as consultants, etc.). Also, the expected “bow wave” of new nuclear power 

plant applications has resulted in a significant number of new hires, the associated need for new 

space, and overall growth at the agency. Overall, recruitment strategies such as permitting the 

workforce to work from home, the summer intern program, and incentives such as partial 

payment on school loans for each year of service have been successful. 

Knowledge Transfer 

Although the general consensus among interview and focus group respondents is that the NRC 

has made great improvements in this area with a new knowledge transfer program, some 

respondents believe that the agency is still not doing enough. It appears that work in this area is 

done on an Office-by-Office and Region-by-Region basis. Many new hires have a thirst or 

desire to have more information transferred. Retired individuals have been rehired to participate 

in the knowledge transfer program but it is perceived that these individuals sometimes end up 

performing actual work instead of transferring knowledge. 

Career Development and Training 

Interview and focus group respondents perceive HR-led training to be effective. Technical 

training, which respondents regard as desirable, is perceived as inaccessible for some job grades, 

who believe they cannot obtain the necessary permission to attend due to program and travel 

costs, or frozen funding sources. One potential solution or suggestion is for long-term training 

with universities to be held onsite at headquarters. 

Many respondents said that the move of the Professional Development Center (PDC) to an offsite location in Bethesda has made it easier to focus on training courses without being called 

back to work by one’s supervisor. Perceptions of the i-Learn system were mixed; many found it 

to be a positive sign of the NRC’s continued focus on employee training, whereas others found 

the system extremely non-user-friendly. 

In addition, respondents, especially inspectors, frequently feel that on-the-job technical training, 

while vital, is also time-consuming. It is perceived that workload should be reduced to account 

for the extra hours spent performing on-the-job training. 

Career Advancement 

Perceptions of opportunity for career advancement differed by level, though most employees 

were favorable. Inspectors and managers feel that there are more opportunities for advancement, 

as a result of expansion and an easier opportunity to move from a GG level 14 to a GG level 15. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 14

Employees in general feel that opportunities for advancement are stronger now than ever, due to 

the NRC’s expansion over the last few years. However, administrative employees believe that 

there are limited opportunities for advancement. In addition, when a position does open that 

might allow an administrative individual to move from level 5 to 6, it is perceived that the 

agency is more likely to hire someone external than internal. 

One ancillary issue is that “management churn”- rapid rotation of supervisors from department to 

department - provides excellent advancement opportunities for those individuals, and pays 

dividends to the NRC, but does make for a difficult environment for the employees in the 

departments whose supervisors are rotating. 

Budget (e.g., CR) 

Overall perceptions are that the agency’s budget is sufficient. There are concerns about not 

knowing the new Administration’s plans. The FY 2009 Continuing Resolution appears to have 

the highest impact on the NRC with reduced travel and the future licensing of the High Level 

Waste Repository. 

Communication 

Interview and focus group respondents feel there are too many sources of communication at the 

NRC. For example, some participants felt they receive too many emails that do not pertain to 

them. They cite the added communication complexities of Washington, having several locations, 

and needing to make a significant effort to ensure employees feel included. The communication 

sources that were viewed as having the best information include Inside the NRC and Yellow 

Announcements. In addition, many administrative individuals enjoy reading the quarterly letter 

and attending the 8:15 meetings in their areas. However, Resident Inspectors tend to feel that the 

quarterly letter is less effective. 

Management 

The new management team is perceived as being as effective as the previous management team. 

Interview and focus group respondents feel that the new Office of the Executive Director for 

Operations (OEDO) is more empowering, allowing employees to be more involved in decisions 

that affect their work. 

IT Support 

There have been several recent changes in the technology department, including new staff, the iLearn system, and a new online travel system. There were mixed feelings about the new online 

travel system. The i-Learn system is perceived as a step in the right direction but could be more 

user-friendly. The new IT leadership has made several improvements but there are still several 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 15

changes to be made. Some interview and focus group respondents feel that the government is 

always one generation of technology behind the mainstream, which some respondents attribute 

to legacy senior staff being unwilling to bring in new processes or systems. 

Conclusion of Qualitative Interview Results 

In conclusion, NRC’s primary mission and objectives, internal image, and workload were 

perceived favorably by interview and focus group respondents. There may be room for 

improvement in ensuring there is adequate skilled workforce, performance management, and 

creating a more cooperative work environment with fewer processes and forms. Interview and 

focus group respondents had mixed perceptions about NRC’s knowledge transfer, career 

development and training, career advancement, and IT progress. 

Some new themes emerged during this year’s discussions as well. There is less focus on the 

DPO and Non-Concurrence processes themselves, and more emphasis on creating an open and 

collaborative work environment within the NRC. Further, the perception of frustration with 

career advancement - especially between the GG-14 and GG-15 levels - seems to have 

evaporated as the result of opportunities associated with the NRC’s expansion. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 16

SURVEY DEVELOPMENT / PRETEST

A pretest version of the survey instrument was developed based on Towers Perrin-ISR’s research 

into safety culture; qualitative review of the 2005, 2002 and 1998 survey questionnaires; the 

qualitative interview findings, and Towers Perrin-ISR’s experience in other government and 

private sector organizations. The pretest survey contained both Towers Perrin-ISR normed and 

NRC tailored questions, and was tested with a broad cross-section of NRC employees, using a 

random sample of individuals from multiple NRC locations. 

Survey questions were grouped into 17 categories, representing the major topics of the NRC’s 

Safety Culture and Climate. A list of the categories, along with a brief description of the items 

each category contains, is provided in the following pages. For each category, the average 

favorable response (percentage of employees responding favorably to a given set of questions) 

was calculated; Exhibit 2 of this report shows the percent-favorable response for each survey 

category. Beginning at Exhibit 3, we present comparisons of the 2009 survey results with 1998, 

2002 and 2005 NRC historical results, Towers Perrin-ISR’s U.S. Research and Development 

Norm, U.S. National Norm, and U.S. High Performance Norm. 

Survey Categories 

1. Clarity of Responsibilities: Assesses clarity of job responsibilities, duplication across 

work units, and task prioritization. 

2. Management Leadership: Probes employees’ views of the various management levels 

within the NRC, including management style, management direction, and confidence in 

management decisions. 

3. Supervision: Examines employee perceptions of their immediate supervisors’ technical 

competency; level of authority; availability; communication skills; people management and 

team-building skills; attention to staffing needs; competency for understanding future 

needs; and their level of effectiveness when working with people of different gender, 

racial/ethnic background, or lifestyle. 

4. Working Relationships: Measures the level of cooperation, respect, and teamwork among 

employees, work units, divisions, office/regions, and headquarters. 

5. Empowerment: Assesses the amount of authority employees have to do their jobs, the 

trust they receive from management, the openness to discuss differing opinions, the ability 

to openly and confidently raise issues, and whether NRC’s climate allows one to be 

innovative. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 17

6. Communication: Evaluates the availability of information about matters affecting the 

agency, and information employees need to do their job. It also assesses the degree of 

openness that employees feel they have in speaking up in the NRC. This category measures 

employees’ understanding of the goals and objectives of their work unit, division, 

office/region, and NRC as a whole and the NRC Strategic Plan. This category also 

measures the effectiveness of various internal communication vehicles. 

7. Workload and Support: Evaluates the level of staff resources to handle the workload, the 

amount of stress employees experience on the job, prioritization and resource allocation to 

improve efficiency of work, such as the dissemination of information. This category also 

evaluates employees’ understanding of the NRC’s safety culture. 

8. Training and Development: Assesses availability and quality of training, knowledge of 

safety concepts, recruitment and retention of talented employees, development of 

employees to their full potential, and perceptions of career progression within the NRC. 

Also provides employees the opportunity to identify barriers to attending NRC-sponsored 

and other publicly/privately offered training courses. 

9. Performance Management: Explores NRC’s recognition for quality of performance, and 

investigates the breadth, utility, and understanding of performance reviews. 

10. Job Satisfaction: Examines employees’ views on job satisfaction. This category asks if 

employees feel a sense of accomplishment from their jobs, and if they feel as though their 

jobs are important to the NRC. 

11. Engagement: Probes employees’ willingness to recommend the NRC as a good place to 

work, whether they feel they are a part of the agency, their pride in working for the NRC 

and their belief in NRC goals, objectives and values. This category also measures 

employee intent to leave for both retirement- and non-retirement-related reasons.

12. NRC Mission and Strategic Plan: Assesses the clarity of NRC’s mission and strategic 

plan, and whether employees believe management decisions are consistent with the mission 

and strategic plan. In addition, this category assesses the use of the strategic plan in 

assisting employees in prioritizing their work and formulating budgets. 

13. NRC Image: Examines employee perceptions of whether NRC is highly regarded by its 

various stakeholders; NRC’s effectiveness in communicating to the general public, and 

whether all employees are held to the same standards of ethical behavior. Also, this 

category assesses the factors that attract people to working at the NRC. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 18

14. Organizational Change: Evaluates employees’ views on the future of the industry and 

their concerns about changes in management. Employees are also asked to rate how things 

have changed from the past and will change in the future for the NRC as a whole. 

15. Continuous Improvement Commitment: Assesses employee views on NRC’s 

commitment to public safety and whether employees are encouraged to communicate ideas 

to improve safety/regulations/operations. This category also measures the NRC’s effort to 

capture and record the collective experience of retiring employees for future use in the 

agency. 

16. Quality Focus: Explores employee views on the quality of NRC’s (divisions’) work, as 

well as, the sacrifice of quality work due to the need to meet a deadline or the need to 

satisfy a personal or political agenda. 

17. Open, Collaborative Work Environment: This category probes the degree to which 

employees are satisfied with the different programs/policies that are available at the NRC 

(e.g., the Differing Professional Opinions Program, the Open Door Policy, and the NonConcurrence Program). This category also addresses employees comfort with 

communicating with different levels of management. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 19

SURVEY ADMINISTRATION

The OIG’s NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey was administered to all employees and 

managers, from May 4 through May 29, 2009. Of the 3,935 employees asked to participate, 

3,404 completed valid1 surveys, for an overall return rate of 87%. This return is significantly 

higher than previous survey administrations and is more than sufficient to provide a reliable and 

valid measure of the current attitudes and perceptions of NRC employees and managers. 

Exhibit 1 

1

A valid survey is when the individual selects at least one coding question and at least one opinion 

question. There were not any invalid surveys for NRC for the 2009 Survey Administration. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 20

OVERALL CATEGORY SCORES

The average favorable response score for each category (percentage of employees responding 

favorably to a given set of questions) was calculated and is provided below. All of the 17 

categories demonstrate majority favorable scores (defined as greater than 50% favorable 

responses), with the most favorable being Job Satisfaction at 88% favorable. 

The category scores range between 55% favorable to 88% favorable, with Job Satisfaction, 

Engagement, Clarity of Responsibility, NRC Mission & Strategic Plan, Working Relationship, 

and NRC Image all being characterized by employees as most favorable, with scores at 80% or 

better. The remaining categories range from Supervision at 79% to Organizational Change at 

55% (the lowest-scoring category). In reviewing “raw” category scores, caution should be 

exercised in the absence of historical or external benchmarks. The favorability of many questions 

in the general U.S. population tends to be lower than one might expect. 

Exhibit 2 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 21

COMPARISON OF NRC WITH THE U.S. NATIONAL NORM

A Towers Perrin-ISR norm is a weighted sample of employee responses categorized by nation, 

industry, function, or performance. The first benchmark NRC is compared with is the U.S. 

National Norm. This norm is comprised of organizations representing a broad spectrum of 

industries across the United States and has been updated in the last 12 months. The norm 

includes 159,163 cases (weighted average) from individual respondents. Employees in the norm 

are Hourly, Salaried, Exempt and Non-Exempt up to and including Executives. Organizations in 

the norm are weighted to ensure proper proportionality. 

Exhibit 3 

The overall category profile for the NRC is above the U.S. National Norm, as illustrated in the 

graphic. The norm score for a category is represented by the center line in the graph. The NRC 

is significantly more favorable in all 15 comparable categories represented by the green bars, the 

greatest difference being for NRC Mission & Strategic Plan which is 13 points higher than the 

U.S. National Norm. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 22

Whenever a percent favorable or unfavorable response between two groups is displayed, a 

statistical test is conducted to determine how confident we can be about whether the difference in 

scores represents a “real” difference in opinion or is it more likely the difference was caused by 

random chance. A statistically significant difference is one that is large enough, given the size of 

the groups being compared, to be unlikely to be caused by chance. Statistically significant 

differences are therefore thought to be indicators of real difference between the two groups being 

compared. A statistically significant difference indicates there is less than a 5% chance the 

difference occurs randomly. 

The previous graphic does not show results for Organizational Change or Open, Collaborative 

Working Environment because they are categories containing unique tailored questions specific 

to the NRC and do not have U.S. National Norm equivalent questions. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 23

COMPARISON OF NRC WITH U.S. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NORM

The U.S. Research and Development Norm is a representative sample of the U.S. research and 

development workforce weighted according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This norm 

contains a representative sample of organizations throughout the U.S. and includes 22,085 cases 

(weighted average) from R&D functions. When comparing the 2009 NRC survey scores with the 

U.S. Research and Development Norm, 15 categories score significantly above the norm. The 

most favorable difference is Training and Development which is 15 points above norm. As the 

scores demonstrate in this comparison, NRC employee opinions are generally more favorable 

than what would typically be observed among U.S. R&D populations. 

Exhibit 4 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 24

COMPARISON OF NRC WITH U.S. HIGH PERFORMANCE NORM

The Towers Perrin-ISR U.S. High Performance Norm is comprised of some of the top 

performing organizations in the U.S., included because they meet two criteria - very strong 

financial results and very high employee survey scores. An organization must meet both criteria 

in order to be included in this norm. 

When comparing the NRC results to the U.S. High Performance Norm, NRC had 12 categories 

with significantly more favorable scores. Workload and Support showed the highest difference 

of 10 points. Management Leadership and NRC Image categories were not statistically 

significantly different when compared to the U.S. High Performance Norm. 

Exhibit 5 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 25

COMPARISON OF NRC 2009 RESULTS WITH NRC 2005 RESULTS

The historical comparison of results from 2005 to 2009 is quite favorable, with 16 of 17 

categories statistically more favorable than the 2005 NRC results. The NRC Mission & Strategic 

Plan category is the most favorable comparison to 2005 results, up by 13 points. NRC Image, 

Performance Management, Continuous Improvement Commitment, Management Leadership and 

Open, Collaborative Working Environment also experienced double-digit improvements of 10 to 

12 points. Organizational Change did not have any difference when compared to the results 

from 2005. 

Exhibit 6 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 26

COMPARISON OF NRC 2009 RESULTS WITH NRC 2002 RESULTS

Compared to 2002, the NRC has improved in 16 categories, from NRC Mission & Strategic 

Plan, which is significantly more favorable in 2009 vs. 2002 by 24 points, to Workload and 

Support, which has improved by 5 points. Organization Change showed an improvement of 1 

point; however, it was not a statistically significant difference. 

Exhibit 7
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 27

COMPARISON OF NRC 2009 RESULTS WITH NRC 1998 RESULTS

When compared to 1998, the results from 2009 showed statistically significant improvements for 

15 categories. NRC Image, NRC Mission and Strategic Plan and Management Leadership all 

showed improvements of more than 30 points. All other comparable categories showed 

improvements of at least 11 points. Performance Management and Open, Collaborative Working 

Environment did not exist in the 1998 so comparisons could not be made. 

Exhibit 8 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 28

INTERNAL COMPARISONS

The following internal comparisons illustrate how various subgroups within NRC (i.e., offices, 

regions, grade levels, job category, job functions, and various tenures) vary at the category-level 

average compared with NRC overall. Please note that in these charts, statistically significant 

differences are indicated by colored (green or red) cells. 

When reviewing any of the internal comparisons, such as the graph on the next page, it should be 

noted that while all respondents are included in the overall number (N=3,404), not all employees 

provided a response to every coding question in the survey. For this reason, the sum of all 

groups may not be equal to the total NRC Overall combined group. Also, groups with N<20 are 

included in the overall NRC population counts, but are not broken out separately, to ensure 

confidentiality for each respondent. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 29

Office Comparisons

Examining the NRC data in terms of office distinctions allows an interesting picture to emerge. 

In this first set of comparisons listed in the following graphic, most of the offices did not show 

any significant differences from NRC overall. However, Office of Investigations (OI) did have 

significantly lower scores on both Job Satisfaction and Engagement. 

Headquarters Overall (N=2,534) has little statistical difference to the NRC Overall. This is due 

to the fact that Headquarters has a significant number of respondents as part of the overall survey 

respondent population. 

Exhibit 9 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 30

Office of Administration (ADM), Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), and Office of 

Information Services (OIS), have a number of categories that are significantly less favorable than 

the NRC Overall, with Research statistically lower in 11 to 17 categories. Conversely, the Office 

of New Reactors (NRO) has two categories that are statistically more favorable: Empowerment 

and NRC Image. 

A communication question was added to the survey in 2009, on whether multiple office locations 

in the Washington area inhibit effective communication. Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation 

(NRR) and Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research (RES) perceived having multiple office 

locations is less favorable than other groups within the NRC. Office of Administration (ADM), 

Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS), and Office of Information Services 

(OIS) perceived this item more favorably than other groups. 

Exhibit 10
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 31

Region Overall, Region I, and Region IV had two or more categories that were significantly 

more favorable than NRC Overall. Region I had three categories that were significantly more 

favorable: Clarity of Responsibilities, Working Relationships and Organizational Change. 

Region IV had two categories that were statistically more favorable: Management Leadership 

and NRC Mission and Strategic Plan. Regions II and III were not significantly different from 

NRC Overall. 

Exhibit 11
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 32

Office Historical Comparisons 

Each office was also compared to its own 2005 score on each category. The numbers in the cells 

below and on the next two pages indicate the improvement or decline for that office versus its 

own 2005 results, by category. A number of groups have experienced significant improvements 

while others have been able to maintain the same level of results as the previous survey. 

Headquarters Overall had 16 categories with a statistically significant improvement from 2005. 

NRC Image has improved by 14 points while Performance Management and NRC Mission & 

Strategic Plan improved by 13 points. 

Exhibit 12 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 33

The Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR) and the Office of Nuclear 

Regulatory Research (RES) both had the highest amount of categories that were significantly 

more favorable when compared to the results from 2005: NSIR with 16 categories more 

favorable and RES with 17 categories more favorable. Almost all of these categories also 

showed a double-digit improvement from the 2005 results. RES had 7 categories with an 

improvement of 20 points or more, with Management Leadership showing the highest 

improvement, of 30 points. The Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards (NMSS) and 

the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) also have several categories that are 

significantly more favorable when compared to the results in 2005 - 6 categories and 12 

categories, respectively. There are no categories in any of the offices below that showed a 

significant decrease in favorability when being compared to the 2005 results. 

Of all the categories, Performance Management showed significant improvements in the highest 

number of offices: 5 out of 8. 

Exhibit 13 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 34

Regions I, III and IV had significantly more favorable scores for several categories: four 

categories for Region 1, seven categories for Region III, and three categories for Region IV. 

Region II had a significantly more favorable score for the NRC Mission and Strategic Plan but 

had a significantly less favorable score for Organizational Change when compared to the 2005 

results. 

Exhibit 14 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 35

Grade Level Comparisons 

Another comparison of interest is grade level. The pattern demonstrated in the chart below is 

very typical of government and private sector clients, regardless of industry or sector. The NRC 

data reveal statistically significant positive responses from the SES/Executive, the most senior 

layer of the agency (the column to the extreme right in the graphic). GG-13’s, GG-15’s and 

Senior Level/Administrative Law Judges are either equal to, or had more favorable responses in 

several categories, when compared to NRC Overall, while GG-1 to GG-10, GG-11 to GG-12, 

and GG-14 had significantly less favorable scores for several categories. 

GG-14 had the highest number of categories that were significantly less favorable when 

compared to NRC Overall: Clarity of Responsibilities, Management Leadership, Empowerment, 

NRC Mission and Strategic Plan, and Continuous Improvement Commitment. This is consistent 

with the findings of 2005 results as well. 

Exhibit 15 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 36

Job Category Comparisons 

Employees were requested to identify their Job Category in the Coding Section of the survey, 

choosing from senior management, middle management, line management, and non-supervisory 

classifications. The pattern displayed below is particularly common among government and 

private sector organizations alike. However, it remains interesting to see the sharp differences 

between higher levels of management and other employees at the line management and nonsupervisory levels. Senior management and middle management deviate by double-digit 

differences compared with NRC Overall scores. 

Exhibit 16 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 37

Job Function Comparisons 

As noted in the chart illustrating Job Function Comparisons, there is very little difference 

between Legal and Scientific job functions when compared to NRC Overall. However, 

Administrative Support employees are significantly less favorable in nine of the 17 categories – 

the highest difference being -7 for Open, Collaborative Working Environment. 

The Engineering job function had significantly more favorable scores for eight of the 17 

categories. All the category score increases were in the single digits with Empowerment 

showing the highest increase of 5 points. 

Exhibit 17 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 38

Length of Service Comparisons 

When employee opinion data are segmented according to length of service groups, there is little 

difference in scores. This is unusual when compared and contrasted with private sector 

organizations, where employees with between 5 to 10 years of service often respond unfavorably 

to the topics addressed in the survey compared to the rest of their organization. The absence of 

significant variation in category results at the NRC indicates that tenure is not a major factor in 

how employees respond to the questions in the survey. 

No levels of tenure vary significantly from the NRC Overall. However, it is interesting to note 

that employees with 25+ years of service scored significantly lower on Engagement (-5). This is 

perhaps because they do have an intent to leave the organization (for some, due to retirement), 

which is a survey item within the Engagement category. 

Another interesting finding is the lack of statistically significant favorable differences for 

employees with 20 years of service or more. Generally in Towers Perrin-ISR’s experience, this 

group tends to be more favorable than other groups of employees due to their length of service 

with the organization. In the case of the NRC, this population is generally equal to the overall 

results. 

Exhibit 18 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 39

Senior Resident Inspectors Versus Resident Inspectors 

When a comparison is done between Senior Resident Inspectors versus Resident Inspectors, no 

significant differences are found. 

Exhibit 19 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 40

KEY DRIVER ANALYSIS

A key driver analysis (multiple regression) enables the identification of those critical areas that 

drive employee engagement. In the case of the 2009 NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey, 

employee engagement was investigated. In order to determine the critical factors that influence 

employee engagement, the Engagement category is designed to empirically measure employee 

engagement. It was utilized as the dependent variable in the key driver analysis, while all other 

questions contained in the survey serve as the independent variables and are regressed on the 

Engagement Index. 

Total Favorable in the results charts that follow is the combination of the “Agree”/“Tend to 

Agree” responses. The Question Mark response is comprised of employees who do not know or 

do not have an opinion to the question. Total Unfavorable are employees that responded with a 

“Tend to Disagree” or “Disagree” response to the question. 

The Engagement category is composed of the following items: 

Exhibit 20 

 I believe strongly in the goals and objectives of this organization. (Question 54) 

 I fully support the values for which this agency stands. (Question 63) 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 41

Exhibit 21 

 The longer you work for the NRC, the more you feel a part of the agency. (Question 11) 

 I would recommend the NRC as a good place to work. (Question 29) 

 I am proud to be associated with the NRC. (Question 44) 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 42

Exhibit 22 

 The NRC energizes me to go the extra mile. (Question 71) 

 At the present time, are you seriously considering leaving the NRC? (Question 84) 

 Are you seriously considering leaving the NRC because of your retirement? (Question 

85) 

The results of the Key Driver Analysis are shown on the following pages. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 43

Exhibit 23 

The Total Variance Explained for this model is 66%, which is considered highly predictive of the 

dependent variable Engagement. This indicates that 66% of all of the variation in responses to 

Engagement can be accounted for by the responses to these three categories. The .42, .27, and 

.20 for the key driver categories are regression coefficients, which indicate the relative strength 

of each category in driving engagement. The categories have been listed in the chart above, 

then, in order of how strongly they predict engagement of NRC employees. 

In interpreting this model, we can assume that individuals responding favorably to Engagement 

Index items also responded favorably to the items determined to most influence Engagement. 

Conversely, individuals responding unfavorably to Engagement Index items also tended to 

respond unfavorably to the items determined to most influence Employee Engagement. It is 

apparent that employee engagement at the NRC is highly affected by attitudes toward 

Management Leadership, Continuous Improvement Commitment and Training and 

Development. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 44

Exhibit 24 

We continued the analysis to identify the actual questions driving engagement. Six items 

emerged from the analysis: 

 The management style at the NRC encourages employees to give their best. 

 Management of the agency recognizes and respects the value of human differences. 

 People in my work unit are encouraged to come up with innovative solutions to workrelated problems. 

 I believe the NRC’s commitment to our security mission is apparent in what we do on a 

day-to-day basis. 

 I believe I have the opportunity for personal development and growth in this organization. 

 I think the NRC is doing a good job of developing its people to their full potential. 

Key driver analysis serves as an important tool in prioritizing issues for post-survey follow-up 

activities. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 45

The table below shows the results of the key driver analysis for Employee Engagement, 

comparing NRC scores to the NRC 2005 results, U.S. Research & Development and the U.S. 

High Performance Norms. 

Exhibit 25

As can be seen above, both the items in Training and Development are significantly above the 

three benchmarks. Additionally, the first item from Continuous Improvement Commitment 

("People in my work unit are encouraged to come up with innovative solutions to work-related 

problems") is significantly above all three benchmarks. The second item in the Continuous 

Improvement Commitment category was developed specifically for the NRC, and does not have 

a historical comparison or either norm comparison. 

In the Management Leadership category both items were 1 point below the U.S. High 

Performance Norm. The first item ("The management style at the NRC encourages employees to 

give their best") had significantly more favorable scores for the historical comparison and for the 

U.S. R&D comparison: 12 and 16 points above, respectively. The second item ("Management of 

the agency recognizes and respects the value of human differences") had a significantly more 

favorable score when compared to the historical. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 46

The importance of Employee Engagement cannot be underestimated. Engaged employees have 

higher allegiance to an organization, are willing to expend extra effort, recommend the agency to 

others as a great place to work and are committed to staying with the organization. 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 47

CONCLUSION

Overall, the NRC has a variety of strengths to build from. The results are very positive in relation 

to a wide variety of norms and historical results from 2005, 2002, and 1998. The 2009 NRC 

Safety Culture and Climate Survey results show significant improvements over the 2005 results, 

with 16 of 17 categories significantly more favorable. The largest increases were in NRC 

Mission and Strategic Plan, NRC Image, and Performance Management. Compared to the U.S. 

National Norm, the NRC is statistically more favorable in all of the 15 comparable categories. 

Compared to the U.S. Research and Development Norm, the NRC is more favorable in all of the 

15 comparable categories. When compared to the U.S. High Performance Norm, 12 of the 14 

comparable categories were significantly more favorable. 

The most improved scores from 2005 are: 

 17a. “I am aware of the following methods to raise a concern: The Non-Concurrence 

Process" 

o Improved by 37 points. 

 82. “Regarding the NRC’s strategic plan, I believe the plan helps me formulate my budget” 

o Improved by 30 points. 

 17c. “I am aware of the following methods to raise a concern: The Open Door Policy” 

o Improved by 25 points. 

 85. “Are you seriously considering leaving the NRC because of your retirement?” 

o Improved by 23 points. 

 56. "The NRC has done an effective job of capturing the knowledge of retiring NRC 

employees" 

o Improved by 17 points. 

The questions that had the highest decrease compared and contrasted to 2005 are: 

 91b. “How often do the following interfere with your attending training for your current job: 

Availability of classes/courses" (N) 

o Decreased by -8 points. (Negatively worded item; this indicates that more NRC 

employees in 2009 feel that class/course availability interferes with attending 

training than did in 2005) 

 88e. “How effective are the following at enhancing internal communications: EDO 

Updates” 

o Decreased by -7 points. 

 14a. “I am frequently concerned about the following: The future of the nuclear industry” (N) 

o Decreased by -4 points. (Negatively worded item; this indicates that more NRC 

employees in 2009 are concerned about the future of the nuclear industry than 

were in 2005) 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 48

In reviewing the NRC Office and Regions results for 2009, the Headquarters Overall, Office of 

Nuclear Security and Incident Response (NSIR), and the Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research 

(RES) had the highest amount of categories that were significantly more favorable when 

compared to the results from 2005. Close behind them were Office of Nuclear Material Safety 

and Safeguards (NMSS) and Region III. Additionally, there were not any offices that showed 

multiple categories with significantly lower favorable scores when compared to 2005. 

It is apparent that employee engagement at the NRC is highly affected by attitudes toward 

Management Leadership, Continuous Improvement Commitment and Training and Development 

- all areas the NRC should continue to focus on. 

Below are a list of strengths to maintain and a list of opportunities for improvement. 

KEY STRENGTHS TO MAINTAIN

1. Historical Comparisons – all categories are at or significantly above 2005 levels 

2. Normative Comparisons – all categories are at or significantly above norm levels, 

including High Performance Norm 

3. Workload and Support – work schedules, prioritization, and computer systems viewed 

favorably 

4. Quality Focus – excellent quality, and improvement on sacrificing quality for metrics or 

personal/political needs 

5. Training and Development – training opportunities; personal growth & development; 

talent management 

6. Performance Management – performance evaluated fairly; performance reviews are 

helpful 

7. Open, Collaborative Working Environment – much greater awareness and acceptance 

of programs and processes

KEY OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT 

1. NRC Image – holding all employees to the same ethical standards 

2. Training and Development – availability of classes and personal workload interfering 

with ability to attend training 

3. Communication – NRC public Web site, ADAMS, EDO Updates not viewed as 

favorably as in 2005 
OIG NRC Safety Culture and Climate Survey – Executive Summary 

 49

4. Organizational Change – concern about the future of the nuclear industry and frequent 

changes of one’s supervisor 

5. Empowerment – management trusting employees’ judgment