Psychometric Evaluation of the Gratitude Toward the Organization Scale

Marcin Wnuk

doi:10.7206/cemj.2658-0845.30

Abstract

Purpose: Gratitude is an interdisciplinary concept frequently explored in positive psychology, which recognizes gratitude as one of the seven transcendent character forces that promote well-being and life satisfaction. The purpose of the conducted research was to develop the concept of gratitude toward the organization and prepare a tool to study this phenomenon. Methods: The study was cross-sectional. Participants were 802 employees from various organizations. Results: The Gratitude Toward the Organization Scale has a good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α was 0.91). Factor analysis confirmed the two-factor structure of this tool. The dimensions of gratitude toward the organization are distinguished as: (1) gratitude as a commitment to reciprocity and (2) gratitude as a moral norm. The construct validity of this measure was confirmed. Gratitude toward the organization correlated positively with job satisfaction, affective commitment to the organization, organizational justice, and perceived organizational and supervisor support, while being negatively correlated with intent to leave the organization. Conclusions: The obtained results confirm very good psychometric properties of the Gratitude Toward the Organization Scale as a valid and reliable measure for studying the gratitude of employees, which can be successfully used by researchers in Poland.

Highlights

Gratitude is a significant social phenomenon from the viewpoint of interpersonal relations
Gratitude is seen as a specific attitude toward another person that constitutes a response to a received good, which implies that the received good needs to be noticed, it activates specific positive emotions and internal arousal, and a motivation to reciprocate caused by the feeling of being endowed and wanting to requite
Within the field of positive psychology, gratitude as a character strength, being the most elementary and positive manifestation of human functioning (Park, Peterson and Seligman, 2004) – along with hope – creates enthusiasm, the appreciation of beauty and perfection, humor, spirituality, and forgiveness, a virtue associated with a trans cendence that manifests itself in the ability to see beyond everyday concerns (Seligman, 2002)

Summary

Introduction

Gratitude is a significant social phenomenon from the viewpoint of interpersonal relations. According to Oxford English Dictionary, gratitude comes from the Latin word gratia, meaning “grace, graciousness, gratefulness,” and gratia and is defined as “the quality or condition of being thankful; the appreciation of an inclination to return kindness.”. In this context, gratitude is seen as a specific attitude toward another person that constitutes a response to a received good, which implies that the received good needs to be noticed, it activates specific positive emotions and internal arousal, and a motivation to reciprocate caused by the feeling of being endowed and wanting to requite. As a moral reward, it increases the probability of helping the receiver more in the future thanks to gratitude expressed by the person which, at the same time, positively influences the granter’s motivation to provide more help

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