Interpersonal Power Inventory – Employee Version (IPI)
Measures the eleven bases of social power exercised by a supervisor from the perspective of the subordinate.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Interpersonal Power Inventory – Employee Version (IPI) was developed by Bertram H. Raven, Joseph Schwarzwald, and Meni Koslowsky (1998). It is designed to measure Social Power Bases. The scale is intended for use with Employees / Subordinates.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 44 items organized into 11 factors/subscales: Impersonal Reward, Impersonal Coercion, Personal Reward, Personal Coercion, Legitimate Position, Legitimate Reciprocity, Legitimate Equity, Legitimate Dependence, Referent, Expert, Information.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Impersonal Reward | 1,22,37,41 | 4 |
| Impersonal Coercion | 6,13,31,39 | 4 |
| Personal Reward | 8,14,29,33 | 4 |
| Personal Coercion | 10,18,23,44 | 4 |
| Legitimate Position | 2,20,28,34 | 4 |
| Legitimate Reciprocity | 7,12,32,43 | 4 |
| Legitimate Equity | 11,21,30,36 | 4 |
| Legitimate Dependence | 9,16,25,40 | 4 |
| Referent | 5,15,27,35 | 4 |
| Expert | 3,19,26,38 | 4 |
| Information | 4,17,24,42 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Much less likely to comply, 2 = Less likely to comply, 3 = A bit less likely to comply, 4 = Would not affect my tendency to comply, 5 = A bit more likely to comply, 6 = More likely to comply, 7 = Much more likely to comply.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Varies by subscale.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.