Perceptions of Organizational Politics (POPS, Kacmar & Carlson)
HR & WorkReliability: alpha 0.873 sample items
About this scale
A 15-item measure of perceived organizational politics across three dimensions: general political behaviour, go-along-to-get-ahead, and pay/promotion politics. Predicts strain, withdrawal, and reduced citizenship.
Sample item(s)
“There has always been an influential group in this department that no one ever crosses.”
“There is a lot of self-serving behaviour in this organization.”
“Sometimes it's easier to remain quiet than to fight the system.”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.87. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Most cited POPS measure. Hochwarter et al. provided shorter forms.
Source & citation
Kacmar, K. M., & Carlson, D. S. (1997): Further validation of the Perceptions of Politics Scale (POPS): A multiple sample investigation. Journal of Management, Vol. 23, No. 5, pp. 627–658.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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