Construction and Initial Validation of the Work Orientation Questionnaire

Abstract

The goal of the present research was to develop a model of work meaning, consisting of five orientations: job (financial compensation), career (advancement and influence), calling (prosocial duty), social embeddedness (belongingness), and busyness (filling idle time with activities). Two versions of the Work Orientation Questionnaire (WOQ), which measures these five orientations, were developed—for young adults and for working adults. Study 1 describes the development of the WOQ and psychometric properties for young adults. Exploratory (N = 200) and confirmatory (N = 447) factor analyses supported a five-factor solution, and the five scales, which correspond to the five orientations, had adequate internal consistency reliabilities (median =.81). The divergent validity of the WOQ was supported, as shown by the negligible associations of the five orientations with the 12 scales of the Career Decision-Making Profiles questionnaire. In Study 2, the analyses of the responses of 506 employed adults also supported the five-dimensional structure, and four of the WOQ scales were associated with work satisfaction (R2 =.33). Implications for research and practice are discussed along with future research directions.