THE MEASUREMENT OF JOB CONTROL

Subjective or perceived control over job-related activities or events is a frequently measured construct in organizational stress research. Karasek (1985) assessed perceived control as both decision authority a nd skill discretion at work (job decision latitude). Ganster (1989b; D wyer and Ganster, 1991) developed a multidimensional or general measur e of worker control, as well as a specific measure of work predictabil ity. Because little published psychometric data exist for these scales , we investigated the item-level measurement properties of Karasek's a nd Ganster's measures. We hypothesized two separate, two-factor soluti ons, decision authority and skill discretion, for the job decision lat itude scale, and general control and predictability, for the work cont rol scale. The dimensionality of both measures was assessed in multipl e, independent samples using confirmatory factor analyses (LISREL) wit h maximum likelihood estimation. Simultaneous solutions across samples were used to determine the fit of the factor models to the data. The hypothesized two-factor solutions were confirmed for both Karasek's an d Ganster's scales, although item refinement is indicated. We also inv estigated the relative independence between Karasek's and Ganster's sc ales and found a lack of independence between the general control and decision authority items in one sample. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.