Interpersonal Power Inventory – Employee Version (IPI-E)
Measures the respondent's perception of their supervisor's power bases and how these bases influence their compliance.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Interpersonal Power Inventory – Employee Version (IPI-E) 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 / Working Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 44 items organized into 12 factors/subscales: Impersonal Reward, Impersonal Coercion, Personal Reward, Personal Coercion, Legitimate Position, Legitimate Reciprocity, Legitimate Equity, Legitimate Dependence, Legitimate Equality, Referent, Expert, Information.
| 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 |
| Legitimate Equality | 27 | 1 |
| Referent | 5,15,35 | 3 |
| Expert | 3,19,26,38 | 4 |
| Information | 4,17,24,42 | 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 1 to 7. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low influence on compliance: 1 – 3
- Neutral / No effect on compliance: 4 – 4
- High influence on compliance: 5 – 7
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha values typically range from .70 to .90 for the 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.