Interpersonal Power Inventory – Employee Version (IPI-EV)
Measures the perceived bases of social power that influence compliance in supervisor-subordinate relationships.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Interpersonal Power Inventory – Employee Version (IPI-EV) was developed by Raven, B. H., Schwarzwald, J., & Koslowsky, M. (1998). It is designed to measure Interpersonal 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, Expert, Information, Referent.
| 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 |
| Expert | 3,19,26,38 | 4 |
| Information | 4,17,24,42 | 4 |
| Referent | 5,15,27,35 | 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.
Total scores range from 4 to 28. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low influence on compliance: 4 – 12
- Moderate influence on compliance: 13 – 20
- High influence on compliance: 21 – 28
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Subscale Cronbach's alphas typically range from .70 to .90.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.