Work Values Scale: A Confirmatory Factor Analytic Study

Abstract

This paper attempts to address two issues: describe the difference between Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and to examine whether the factor structure of ‘Work values Scale’ developed by Blood (1969) on U.S. sample holds valid in India. The participants in the study were equitably drawn: 250 junior and middle level managers from seven private and three public sector work organizations of North India. Their age ranged from 28 to 57 years. These executives belonged to wide range of functional areas, including accounts, engineering, personnel, production, quality control, R & D and sales. An attempt was made to represent most of the departments, as far as practicable. The average job experience of the respondents was 11.13 years and their educational qualification was a University or College Graduation or equivalent professional training. The most striking difference between EFA and CFA, is of investigators’ theory. In EFA, the investigator may not have any theoretical hypothesis in mind and may examine, common structure underlying the data. On the other hand, in CFA, investigators have prior information and theoretical basis of hypothesis regarding structure of the data and seek to confirm or reject the hypothesized structure. Based on Blood (1969), we proposed that work values scale will have two factors: Protestant Work Value and Non-Protestant Work Value. Data confirmed two-factor structure solution. Thus, the study suggests that there is a cross-cultural similarity among US and Indian managers on work values scale.