A reexamination of Schriesheim and Hinkin's (1990) measure of upward influence

Abstract

Research examining the tactics used to influence others has served as a significant line of inquiry over the past two decades. Critical to this stream of work has been the development of measures used to assess the frequency of upward influence tactics. This article reexamines a taxonomy and instrumentation originally presented by Kipnis et al. and modified by Schriesheim and Hinkin. The authors of this article assessed the factor structure, convergent, and discriminant validity of the 18-item, six-factor (i.e., assertiveness, exchange, rationality, ingratiation, upward appeal, and coalition building) measure. Data relevant to the investigation of construct validity were gathered from four independent samples. Concerns regarding lowerthan acceptable reliability estimates and unexpected item-factor correlations surfaced suggesting the need to develop a more appropriate measure of upward influence tactics.