Work Values Inventory (WVI)
Measures an individual's work values across 14 distinct dimensions to help identify career preferences and job satisfaction factors.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Work Values Inventory (WVI) was developed by Donald E. Super (1970). It is designed to measure Work Values. The scale is intended for use with Adults, job seekers, and employees.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 140 items organized into 14 factors/subscales: Autonomy, Creativity, Variety, Self-development, Structure, Security, Influence, Prestige, Performance, Financial reward, Work-life balance, Working conditions, Work relationships, Altruism.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Autonomy | 1,14,20,26,44,62,88,94 | 8 |
| Creativity | 8,11,21,64,71,120,126,127,130,131,133 | 11 |
| Variety | 7,22,53,68,76,83,99,128 | 8 |
| Self-development | 24,32,41,63,72,103,122,138 | 8 |
| Structure | 5,23,27,28,37,40,58,70,87,96,107,108,119,125,140 | 15 |
| Security | 4,6,10,13,48,59,73,81,90,117 | 10 |
| Influence | 3,18,29,33,55,75,82,84,89,115,123 | 11 |
| Prestige | 12,31,45,46,61,67,79,134 | 8 |
| Performance | 49,50,69,74,77,98,105,106,110,112,114,121 | 12 |
| Financial reward | 30,36,42,54,78,86,93,101,111,113,116,135 | 12 |
| Work-life balance | 2,16,17,43,85,91,129,136 | 8 |
| Working conditions | 25,38,39,57,60,80,92,97,102,118,139 | 11 |
| Work relationships | 9,15,34,47,51,56,65,95,100,104,124,132,137 | 13 |
| Altruism | 19,35,52,66,109 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Totally unimportant, 2 = Unimportant, 3 = Important and unimportant, 4 = Important, 5 = Extremely important.
The scale includes 7 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 1 to 5. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Importance: 1 – 2
- Moderate Importance: 3 – 3
- High Importance: 4 – 5
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of N/A.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.