Job Characteristics Inventory – JCI
Measures employee perceptions of core job characteristics including variety, autonomy, feedback, dealing with others, task identity, and friendship.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Job Characteristics Inventory – JCI was developed by Henry P. Sims Jr., Andrew D. Szilagyi, Robert T. Keller (1976). It is designed to measure Job Characteristics. The scale is intended for use with 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 = Between low and moderate, 3 = Moderate amount, 4 = Between moderate and high, 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 perceived job characteristics: 30 – 70
- Moderate perceived job characteristics: 71 – 110
- High perceived job characteristics: 111 – 150
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Variety α = 0.80; Autonomy α = 0.74; Feedback α = 0.79; Dealing with others α = 0.80; Task identity α = 0.77; Friendship α = 0.75.
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.