Person-Environment Fit Scale – PE Fit
Measures the discrepancy between an employee's perceived work environment and their preferred work environment across four job dimensions.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Person-Environment Fit Scale – PE Fit was developed by Caplan, R. D., Cobb, S., French, J. R. P., Van Harrison, R., & Pinneau, S. R. (1980). It is designed to measure Person-Environment Fit. The scale is intended for use with Employees / Working adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 21 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Quantitative Workload, Responsibility for Persons, Job Complexity, Role Ambiguity.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Quantitative Workload | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 7 |
| Responsibility for Persons | 8,9,10,11 | 4 |
| Job Complexity | 12,13,14,15,16,17 | 6 |
| Role Ambiguity | 18,19,20,21 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Hardly any / Very little / Rarely, 2 = A little / Occasionally, 3 = Some / Sometimes, 4 = A lot / Fairly often, 5 = A great deal / Very often.
The scale includes 4 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 0 to 6. Interpretation guidelines:
- Good Fit (Low Discrepancy): 0 – 1
- Moderate Mismatch: 2 – 6
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha values: Job Complexity (E: .72, P: .71), Role Ambiguity (E: .84, P: .86), Responsibility for Persons (E: .89, P: .87), Quantitative Workload (E: .71, P: .60).
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.