Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale – POPS
Measures an individual's perception of political behavior, self-serving activities, and policy application within their organization.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Perceptions of Organizational Politics Scale – POPS was developed by K. M. Kacmar, D. W. Carlson (1997). It is designed to measure Perceptions of organizational politics. The scale is intended for use with Employees / working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 15 items organized into 3 factors/subscales: General Political Behavior, Go Along to Get Ahead, Pay and Promotion Policies.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| General Political Behavior | 1,2 | 2 |
| Go Along to Get Ahead | 3,4,5,6,7,8,9 | 7 |
| Pay and Promotion Policies | 10,11,12,13,14,15 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 4 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 15 to 75. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceptions of Politics: 15 – 35
- Moderate Perceptions of Politics: 36 – 55
- High Perceptions of Politics: 56 – 75
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.81 – 0.89.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.