TESTIMONIALS

COLLEEN LARSEN : Business Engage Association NPC

CEO

Barbara Macdonald and I have worked together on the Business Engage Committee for the last 4 years.

She has been a welcome player on our team. Barbara works with integrity and is always willing to go the extra mile to make sure we accomplish what we as a committee set out to achieve.

I found Barbara to be extremely professional throughout the years I have worked with her. Barbara makes sure she understands any brief she is given and then brings a team around to carry out the objectives required. She is enthusiastic, committed and adheres to deadlines posed on her.

Barbara remains a valuable addition to our team and we would recommend her highly for any task she is given.

JUDY MADAVO : WesBank

Executive Head Human Resources

In 2001 when I joined WesBank, I met Barbara Macdonald who had up until then undertaken approximately 10 Employee Satisfaction Surveys for WesBank. These were done annually.

These surveys looked at more than the Climate and Culture within our organisation. They evaluated our leadership (individually) throughout the organisation using semi-structured questionnaires. These questionnaires were designed by Barbara in consultation with our HR Department and Senior Management. They were dynamic in nature in that we could analyse trends within the organisation over the years and incorporate different initiatives as we implemented them each year.

The results of these surveys were put to good use in the development of Leaders, Managers and staff. They were easy to understand, actionable and were incorporated into our human resource management plans / strategies.

Barbara always fulfilled her brief with flair and excellence. Of special note was her ability to interpret and communicate the findings of the surveys; a fact which received favourable comment from EXCO management. Moreover, the quality of work produced was such that it was presented at an international conference held in Chicago.

Barbara’s commitment to quality and her abounding enthusiasm made her a pleasure to work with.

MRS LINDE McLAREN : University of Johannesburg

Retired Senior Lecturer Department of Marketing Management University of Johannesburg B Com (Pret), MBA (Cape), MPhil Tourism Management (Pret)

I have known Barbara Macdonald for more than 30 years as a researcher and business owner.

Not only is she a very experienced marketing researcher, but she is meticulous with every survey that she conducts, paying the attention to detail that is so necessary to make a research project credible and valuable to her clients.

Barbara has conducted many staff surveys, and having been involved in some of them, I can vouch for her ability to design surveys and questionnaires that meet the needs of her clients by providing information that has practical application.

She is well versed in a range of research designs and techniques which enables her to recommend the most appropriate methodology for a particular situation or problem. She is able to interpret results and make recommendations that add value to her clients’ operations.

She works well with both staff and management to obtain their trust and co-operation in conducting the surveys, and subsequently, to assist managers in gaining real benefit from the findings.

Barbara has a resilient enthusiasm for her work which enables her to overcome the problems inevitable in research projects. She sets high standards for herself regarding integrity, professional conduct and commitment to providing the best possible service.

I have no hesitation in recommending Barbara Macdonald to undertake a research project, and organisational climate and staff surveys in particular.

Please feel free to contact me in this regard at 011 782 6328 or e-mail me at linde.mclaren@gmail.com

MS COLLEEN MOGANE : Gauteng Provincial Legislature

Director - Members Affairs

I have known Barbara for five years, having worked closely with her on our internal customer satisfaction survey for a number of years. Here she has been briefed to assess the relationships between Administrative staff, Members of the Legislature and their Support Staff.

Barbara has a thorough understanding of her profession, is reliable and comprehensive in her work. She ensures that she understands the brief and the observed the protocol required in a political environment. Her professionalism and capacity to investigate has always impressed me.

Her capacity to listen actively in a non-judgmental way has helped us gain an in-depth understanding of the dynamics of customer satisfaction within our organisation. From these in-depth discussions she designed a questionnaire relevant to our criteria and ensured we gained maximum participation.

Her analytical and interpretative skills provide valuable insights into data and she's able to assess the opportunities behind a problem and the best way these can be used to benefit our organisation

Her presentations and delivery are to the point and easy to understand and, she worked with great enthusiasm throughout the project.

NEVILLE NIGHTINGALE : WesBank

Director

15th December 2012

To Whom it May Concern

I am Neville Nightingale and I was CEO of Wesbank at a time that we used the services of Barbara Macdonald and her organization Spot That Zebra

We used Barbara for several years to do Organisational and Climate and Cultural Surveys for Wesbank. Barbara was outstanding in setting up Questionnaires that were not just standard, but recognizing our specific needs and then focusing thereon.

Having designed unique questionnaires she was then able, through her distribution methods, to ensure and encourage maximum participation by all involved.

She made it easy for everyone to participate and then also produced results which we could infinitally analyse and use. The biggest positive in my view is that she produced results which were actionable. Many climate surveys produce nice to know information, but Barbara produced results which would recognize problem areas and we could thus use them to improve our organization and even individuals within the organization.

Ongoing surveys then helped to measure improvement and highlight any new problem areas

Barbara brings special skills to this area and her professionalism and integrity always made it a pleasure to work with her.

Although I am now retired, I am still a Director of Wesbank and happy to answer any questions you may have about Barbara.

OTTO PRETORIUS : QBIT Group

Principal Thought Leader and Director

Employee Surveys by Barbara Macdonald

Barbara has done work for QBIT Group and we have worked with shared clients where the work of Barbara was referenced with great acclaim. Barbara is a specialist in Questionnaire design, assessment, analysis and feedback (both electronic and manual) covering topics like values, climate and culture.

Her personalised approach, attention to detail and insight into people is remarkable.

I gladly recommend her for any similar work your organisation may consider.

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