Control and Complexity Scale
Measures job control and work complexity in terms of an employee's ability to influence working conditions and the difficulty of their job decisions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Control and Complexity Scale was developed by Frese, M., Kring, W., Soose, A., & Zempel, J. (1996). It is designed to measure Job control and work complexity. The scale is intended for use with Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 8 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Complexity of work, Control at work.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Complexity of work | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Control at work | 5,6,7,8 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = 1 (Low / Never / Exactly like A), 2 = 2, 3 = 3, 4 = 4, 5 = 5 (High / Several times a week / Exactly like B).
The scale includes 1 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 8 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low control and complexity: 8 – 18
- Moderate control and complexity: 19 – 29
- High control and complexity: 30 – 40
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha: .67 for complexity, .78 for job control, .81 combined.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 3 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.