Job Characteristics Inventory – JCI
Measures employee perceptions of their job characteristics across six dimensions: 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, Andrew D. Szilagyi, Robert T. Keller (1976). It is designed to measure Job Characteristics and Complexity. 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 = Somewhat / Low amount, 3 = Moderate amount, 4 = Quite a bit / High amount, 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: .76 to .84.
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.