[MRM]

There is no such thing as an anonymous survey. Management can always tell who made each response based on the identifying information in each questionnaire. It's broken down by department, job title, pay level, etc. It's really not hard to tell who is who by looking at the responses. Then there are the secret identifiers written into the survey.

Anonymous surveys are corporate IQ tests. They weed out the people who are not savvy enough to make it in the corporate world. Savvy employees, when faced with an anonymous survey, confirm the boss' glowing assessment of himself. They congratulate the department, division, business unit and corporation as a whole for being the best run and most enlightened organizations on the face of the earth. And they express gratitude for the opportunity to work in such a place, the ability to shine in the boss' reflected light, and the aspiration to climb the ladder in such an organization and one day be just like the boss. When deemed worthy by the organization, of course.

Those who face corporate Darwinism treat anonymous surveys as though they were being asked for their honest opinions and were assured that their opinions would never be used against them. Foolish, trusting souls. Or as corporate HQ calls them, the layoff pool.