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Organizational network analysis survey: who people actually go to

Fourteen questions that map who people need, ask, hear from and wait on. Five ask for names. About eight minutes.

  • 14questions
  • About 8 minto answer
  • 5ask for names
  • Namedconfidential answers
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ONA Survey · answer to move through it
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Question 1 of 14 You on the map
Your full name, as it appears on the list you were sent.
Question 2 of 14 You on the map
Which team are you part of on that list?
Question 3 of 14 Who you work with
In the last month, whose work did you need in order to finish your own? Name up to five people.
Question 4 of 14 Who you work with
When you are stuck on a problem, who do you go to for advice? Name up to five people.
Question 5 of 14 Who you work with
Who keeps you informed about changes that affect your work? Name up to five people.
Question 6 of 14 Who you work with
Whose decision or sign-off do you most often wait for? Name up to three people.
Question 7 of 14 Who you work with
Whose knowledge would help your work, although you rarely get to talk to them? Name up to three people.
Question 8 of 14 How often
Of the people you named for advice, how many do you speak to at least once a week?
All of them
Most of them
About half
A few
None of them
I did not name anyone
Question 9 of 14 How work moves
I can find someone who knows a topic within a day.
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Question 10 of 14 How work moves
I know what the teams I depend on are working on this month.
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Question 11 of 14 How work moves
My work rarely has to wait on one particular person.
Strongly agree
Agree
Neither agree nor disagree
Disagree
Strongly disagree
Question 12 of 14 How work moves
Where does your work most often stall?
It rarely stalls
Waiting for a decision
Waiting for information
Finding the right person
Handoffs between teams
Too many people to consult
Question 13 of 14 In your words
What is one thing that would make it easier to reach the people you need?
Question 14 of 14 Overall
Overall, how easy is it to get what you need from people outside your own team?
Very easy
Easy
Neither easy nor hard
Hard
Very hard

The 14 organizational network analysis survey questions

An organizational network analysis survey asks each person to name the colleagues they rely on, one relationship at a time: work, advice, news and sign-off. Joined together, the names draw a map of how work really moves. Open all fourteen in the free online survey creator and add your own list of people.

Plain text, one question per line, with the answer scale.

You on the map (2 questions)

Both required: a name and a team place each person on the map.

  1. Your full name, as it appears on the list you were sent.Short textMatch it to your list first. Two spellings become two people.
  2. Which team are you part of on that list?Short text

Who you work with (5 questions)

Five relationships, asked one at a time, because each draws its own map.

  1. In the last month, whose work did you need in order to finish your own? Name up to five people.Names, up to 5, optionalThe work-flow map.
  2. When you are stuck on a problem, who do you go to for advice? Name up to five people.Names, up to 5, optionalThe advice map, where expertise outside the org chart shows up.
  3. Who keeps you informed about changes that affect your work? Name up to five people.Names, up to 5, optionalThe information map.
  4. Whose decision or sign-off do you most often wait for? Name up to three people.Names, up to 3, optionalOne name written by half the group is a queue.
  5. Whose knowledge would help your work, although you rarely get to talk to them? Name up to three people.Names, up to 3, optionalEach answer is an introduction worth making.

How often (1 question)

One frequency item in place of a grid for every name.

  1. Of the people you named for advice, how many do you speak to at least once a week?Pick one of 6

How work moves (4 questions)

How the network feels from the inside, scored apart from the names.

  1. I can find someone who knows a topic within a day.Strongly agree to strongly disagree
  2. I know what the teams I depend on are working on this month.Strongly agree to strongly disagree
  3. My work rarely has to wait on one particular person.Strongly agree to strongly disagree
  4. Where does your work most often stall?Tick all that apply

Their words, then the rating (2 questions)

One optional open answer, then the number to compare between teams.

  1. What is one thing that would make it easier to reach the people you need?Long text, optional
  2. Overall, how easy is it to get what you need from people outside your own team?Very easy to very hard

How to use the ONA survey

Send it to everyone inside one boundary, with the list of people in it.[1] Say before question 1 that answers carry names, because the map is made of who named whom, and that results are shared as patterns by team. Every name question can be skipped.

Cross, Borgatti and Parker drew informative network diagrams from surveys of 10 to 15 minutes.[1] This one takes about eight.

To read it, match every name to the list and write one from-to pair per name, with a sheet for each question. Any network tool that reads pairs draws the map. Someone many teams name on question 6 is a queue to shorten. Average questions 9 to 11 by team, counting strongly agree as 5, and read them beside the map.

An isometric office floor with three groups of desks, lines connecting desks inside each group, and the lines between groups all running through one highlighted desk in the middle
Three teams, and one desk every cross-team line runs through.

ONA survey FAQ

What questions are in an organizational network analysis survey?

Questions that ask for names. Each one asks who a person relies on for one thing, such as advice, information or a decision. A few rating questions and one open answer add how the network feels from the inside.

Is an ONA survey anonymous or confidential?

Confidential. The map is built from who named whom, so every answer carries a name. Tell people who will see the names, and share the results as patterns by team.

How do you conduct an organizational network analysis?

Choose the group to map and list everyone in it. Send them all this survey. Match every name to the list, load the from-to pairs into a network tool, then talk through the map with the group.

Related employee survey templates

When the map shows one team worth a closer look, the team survey asks how work moves inside it. If question 6 keeps naming one manager, a manager effectiveness survey asks their direct reports what they see. Before a reorganization, run the change readiness assessment. To give the people nobody names someone to learn from, use the mentor matching questionnaire. Views that need no name fit the employee feedback survey. More are in the employee survey templates.

EmployeeEmployee Engagement SurveyWhen you need the organization-wide read on commitment rather than connections.20 questions, 6 min EmployeeTeam SurveyWhen the boundary is already clear and the question is how one team works inside it.14 questions, 3 min EmployeeOrganizational Culture SurveyWhen the question is shared values and habits, not who talks to whom.16 questions, 4 min EmployeeEmployee Feedback SurveyWhen the question is what people think, not who they work with.14 questions, 4 min EmployeeChange Readiness AssessmentWhen a reorganization is coming and you need readiness, not the map.16 questions, 4 min EmployeeMentor Matching QuestionnaireWhen the missing connection is somebody to learn from.14 questions, 5 min

Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 2 October 2026 · How templates are reviewed

Sources (1)
  1. Cross, R., Borgatti, S. P. and Parker, A. (2002). "Making Invisible Work Visible: Using Social Network Analysis to Support Strategic Collaboration." California Management Review 44(2), 25-46. Author copy (PDF)

Map how work really moves

Fourteen questions, five of them names, about eight minutes. Add your list of people and send it to everyone inside the boundary.

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