Taking Charge Scale

Abstract

The Taking Charge scale is a 10-item instrument developed by Morrison and Phelps (1999) to quantify and describe the discretionary behavior of “taking charge” within organizational settings. This construct refers to voluntary, constructive efforts initiated by an employee aimed at implementing functional changes or improvements in how work is performed or how the organization operates. The scale is typically administered using peer or co-worker ratings to assess a focal employee’s propensity for these proactive, change-oriented behaviors.

Keywords

Taking Charge, Extra-role behavior, Organizational Change, Proactive Behavior, Work Improvement, Morrison and Phelps, Self-efficacy.

Authors

Elizabeth W. Morrison, Christina C. Phelps

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Taking Charge scale is to provide a reliable and valid measure of specific proactive behaviors that employees exhibit beyond their formal job descriptions. Specifically, it focuses on the deliberate initiation of constructive efforts intended to improve organizational processes, procedures, or structures.

This measure allows researchers and practitioners to assess an employee’s inclination toward initiating change, which is a critical component of modern organizational effectiveness and adaptability. By using co-worker ratings, the scale captures an objective, external perspective on these often discretionary behaviors.

Construct

The core construct measured is Taking Charge, defined as voluntary and constructive efforts by an individual to effect functional change within their work unit or the larger organization. This behavior goes beyond routine task performance (in-role behavior) and is characterized by its proactive and change-oriented nature.

Taking Charge encompasses activities such as suggesting new procedures, correcting faulty practices, eliminating redundancies, and introducing new technologies or structures to enhance efficiency. It is distinguished from other forms of organizational citizenship behavior (like altruism or civic virtue) by its strong focus on initiating systemic improvement and challenging the status quo for the betterment of the organization.

Validity

The validity of the Taking Charge scale was established through correlational analyses demonstrating expected relationships with relevant organizational and individual variables. Specifically, the construct showed positive correlations with factors such as top management openness, general self-efficacy, felt responsibility, expert power, and higher organizational level, supporting its nomological network.

Furthermore, exploratory factor analysis provided evidence of discriminant validity, confirming that the Taking Charge construct is empirically distinct from related but separate concepts, including in-role behaviors, civic virtue, and altruism (Morrison & Phelps, 1999). This distinctiveness highlights its unique contribution to the study of proactive work behavior.

Reliability

The Taking Charge scale demonstrated high internal consistency across multiple samples. The Coefficient alpha values reported for the 10 items ranged robustly from .93 to .95, indicating excellent reliability.

When multiple co-workers provided ratings for the same focal employee, the inter-rater reliability was assessed. The median intraclass correlation (ICC) for these peer ratings was found to be .36 (Morrison & Phelps, 1999), suggesting a moderate level of agreement among raters regarding the extent to which the focal employee exhibited taking charge behaviors.

Factor Analysis

The structural integrity of the scale was confirmed through Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). The results indicated a clear unidimensional structure, where all 10 items consistently loaded onto a single factor. This finding supports the view that Taking Charge is a cohesive, unitary construct rather than a composite of distinct sub-dimensions.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report (though completed by co-workers/peers)

Format: 10-item scale utilizing a 5-point Likert-type scale.

Language Available: English (Original development language).

Population Group: Employees/Workers within organizational settings.

Age Group: Adult (Working population).

Population Details: Applicable across various organizational levels and industries.

Test Methodology: Peer/Co-worker assessment of a focal employee’s change-oriented, extra-role behaviors. Responses range from 1 = very infrequently to 5 = very frequently.

Keywords

Organizational Behavior, Proactivity, Work Performance, Internal Consistency, Organizational Citizenship Behavior, Change Initiation, Leadership.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was developed and published in 1999. The items were reproduced with permission of the Academy of Management via Copyright Clearance Center. Users seeking to implement the scale for commercial or extensive research purposes should consult the original publisher, the Academy of Management Journal, or the authors (Morrison & Phelps) for current licensing and permission requirements.

Reference’s

• Morrison, E. W., & Phelps, C. C. (1999). Taking charge at work: Extra-role efforts to initiate workplace change. Academy of Management Journal, 42, 403-419. © 1999 by Academy of Management. Items were taken from Table 1, p. 410. Reproduced with permission of Academy of Management in the format textbook via Copyright Clearance Center.

Items of the Taking Charge scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Responses are obtained using a 5-point Likert-type scale where 1 = very infrequently and 5 = very frequently.

1. This person often tries to adopt improved procedures for doing his or her job.
2. This person often tries to change how his or her job is executed in order to be more effective.
3. This person often tries to bring about improved procedures for the work unit or department.
4. This person often tries to institute new work methods that are more effective for the company.
5. This person often tries to change organizational rules or policies that are nonproductive or counter productive
6. This person often makes constructive suggestions for improving how things operate within the organization.
7. This person often tries to correct a faulty procedure or practice.
8. This person often tries to eliminate redundant or unnecessary procedures.
9. This person often tries to implement solutions to pressing organizational problems.
10. This person often tries to introduce new structures, technologies, or approaches to improve efficiency.