Measures of Perceived Work Characteristics – MPWC
Measures employee perceptions of key psychosocial work characteristics including autonomy, feedback, support, clarity, conflict, and demands.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Measures of Perceived Work Characteristics – MPWC was developed by Haynes, C.E., Wall, T.D., Bolden, R.I., & Rick, J.E. (1999). It is designed to measure Perceived Work Characteristics. The scale is intended for use with Healthcare workers and general employees.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 43 items organized into 9 factors/subscales: Autonomy and control, Feedback, Influence over decisions, Leader support, Professional compromise, Role clarity, Role conflict, Peer support, Work demands.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy and control | 1,2,3,4,5,6 | 6 |
| Feedback | 7,8,9,10 | 4 |
| Influence over decisions | 11,12,13,14 | 4 |
| Leader support | 15,16,17,18,19,20 | 6 |
| Professional compromise | 21,22,23,24 | 4 |
| Role clarity | 25,26,27,28,29 | 5 |
| Role conflict | 30,31,32,33 | 4 |
| Peer support | 34,35,36,37 | 4 |
| Work demands | 38,39,40,41,42,43 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Not at all / Strongly disagree / To a very little extent, 2 = Just a little / Disagree / To a little extent / To a small extent, 3 = Moderate amount / Neither agree nor disagree / To some extent / Neither great nor small, 4 = Quite a lot / Agree / To a great extent, 5 = A great deal / Strongly agree / To a very great extent / Completely.
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
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 Typically Cronbach's alpha > 0.70 across subscales.
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.