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

Pearce, J. L., & Gregersen, H.B. (1991). Task interdependence and extra­ role behavior: A test of the mediating effects of felt responsibility. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76(6), 838-844. Items were taken from Table 1, p. 841. Copyright © 1991 by the American Psychological Association. Reprinted with permission.

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:

  1. I work fairly independently of others in my work
  2. I can plan my own work with little need to coordinate with others
  3. I rarely have to obtain information from others to complete my work
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