Job Characteristics Inventory – JCI
Measures employee perceptions of job characteristics across six dimensions: variety, autonomy, feedback, interaction/dealing with others, task identity, and friendship.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Job Characteristics Inventory – JCI was developed by Henry P. Sims, Andrew D. Szilagyi, Robert T. Keller (1976). It is designed to measure Job Characteristics. The scale is intended for use with Employees / Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 30 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Variety, Autonomy, Feedback, Dealing with Others, Task Identity, Friendship.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Variety | 1,7,12,17,22 | 5 |
| Autonomy | 2,8,13,18,23,28 | 6 |
| Feedback | 4,9,14,20,25 | 5 |
| Dealing with Others | 6,11,30 | 3 |
| Task Identity | 3,19,24,29 | 4 |
| Friendship | 5,10,15,16,21,26,27 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Very Little / Minimum Amount, 2 = Below Average, 3 = Moderate Amount, 4 = Above Average, 5 = Very Much / Maximum Amount.
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.
Total scores range from 30 to 150. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Job Complexity: 30 – 70
- Moderate Job Complexity: 71 – 110
- High Job Complexity: 111 – 150
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha ranged from .76 to .84 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.