Measuring job demands and resources: Validation of the new job characteristic questionnaire (JCQ)

Abstract

For the purpose of measuring job demands and resources, the Job characteristics questionnaire (JCQ) was created. The main aim of this study was initial validation of the JCQ and testing its psychometric properties. A total of 1201 respondents in five independent samples completed the JCQ along with the Work burnout scale (Kristensen et al., 2005), The Utrecht work engagement scale (Schaufeli et al., 2006), the Organisational citizenship behaviour scale (Popov, 2013), and the Intentions to leave the organisation scale (Berat et al., 2016). EFA and CFA performed on the two randomly created subsamples indicated an interpretable 9 factor solution of the JCQ. All extracted dimensions showed the expected intercorrelations, and for the most part meaningful correlations with other relevant variables. Based on the results of this preliminary analysis, the JCQ proved to be a comprehensive, valid and efficient instrument for measuring important job and organisational characteristics. It could be used in both academic and non-academic settings.