Job Interdependence scale

Description

This measure, (Job Interdependence) developed by Pearce and Gregersen (1991), describes the interdependence of a job along two dimensions. The first dimension reflects reciprocal interdependence with other jobs (measured with five items). The second dimension reflects the extent to which an employee works indepen­ dently of other employees to complete their tasks (measured with three items). The two subscales can also be combined into a single measure of job interdependence (Anderson & Williams, 1996).

Reliability

Coefficient alpha was .76 for interdependence and .61 for independence (Pearce & Gregersen, 1991). Coefficient alpha for the subscales combined into a single measure was .85 (Anderson & Williams, 1996).

Validity

Reciprocal interdependence correlated negatively with independence and with the cost of seeking help. Interdependence correlated positively with felt responsibility, help-seeking behavior, and quality of exchange relationship with other workers (Anderson & Williams, 1996; Pearce & Gregersen, 1991). In Anderson and Williams (1996), ratings of interdependence be­ tween pairs of co-workers were positively correlated.

Source

Items

Response are obtained using a Likert-type scale where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.

Interdependence items: 

1. I work closely with others in doing my work
2. I frequently must coordinate my efforts with others
3. My own performance is dependent on receiving accurate information from others
4. The way I perform my job has a significant impact on others
5. My work requires me to consult with others fairly frequently

Independence items:

6. I work fairly independently of others in my work
7. I can plan my own work with little need to coordinate with others
8. I rarely have to obtain information from others to complete my work