Communication Relationships Scale and Receiver Information Scale

Abstract

The Communication Relationships Scale (CRS) and the Receiver Information Scale (RIS) are two distinct yet interconnected questionnaires forming the core of the 1977 International Communication Association (ICA) Communication Audit Survey Instrument. Developed specifically for organizational research, the CRS is a 15-item measure designed to quantify the quality of communication interactions and associated behavioral skills between hierarchical levels, primarily focusing on supervisor and subordinates. This scale taps into crucial communication dynamics applicable across various organizational settings.

The RIS is a complementary 13-item scale that assesses employees’ perceptions of the adequacy and sufficiency of information received about critical organizational topics, such as job duties, performance feedback, and departmental policies. The items for the RIS were derived directly from the broader constructs explored within the CRS, providing a focused assessment of informational flow within the organization.

Keywords

Communication Audit, Organizational Communication, Supervisor-Subordinate Relationship, Communication Skills, Information Adequacy, Faculty, Psychological Scale, Organizational Behavior.

Authors

G. Goldhaber, et al.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Communication Relationships Scale (CRS) and the Receiver Information Scale (RIS) is to provide a standardized, empirically validated method for conducting a comprehensive communication audit within large organizations. The scales aim to systematically assess communication effectiveness, identify potential bottlenecks in information flow, and evaluate overall employee satisfaction with workplace relationships.

The CRS specifically serves to quantify the perceived quality of interpersonal communication behaviors across different organizational levels, allowing researchers and practitioners to diagnose the health of relationships between supervisors, subordinates, coworkers, and top management. The RIS provides an essential diagnostic layer by gauging whether employees receive sufficient and timely information necessary for effective job performance and organizational alignment.

Construct

The Communication Relationships Scale measures the psychological construct of perceived communication satisfaction and relational quality within the workplace. It operationalizes this construct by assessing specific behavioral indicators, including levels of trust, honesty, perceived listening ability of superiors, and the extent of personal influence an employee feels they possess over departmental decisions. The CRS is characterized as a multidimensional instrument, encompassing four primary dimensions of organizational relationships.

The Receiver Information Scale measures the construct of perceived information adequacy. This construct refers to an employee’s subjective evaluation of the quantity and relevance of information they receive across critical organizational topic areas. While the CRS focuses on relationship behaviors, the RIS focuses strictly on the informational environment. The RIS is considered a unidimensional scale, meaning all items contribute to a single, overarching measure of informational sufficiency.

Validity

Formal validity studies beyond internal structural validation were not explicitly detailed in the foundational documentation for the ICA Communication Audit Survey Instrument. The available evidence supporting the measure’s structural integrity is derived from the internal analysis, particularly the factor analysis conducted on the Communication Relationships Scale (CRS).

The successful identification of four distinct factors within the CRS via factor analysis provides initial evidence for construct validity, confirming that the scale successfully measures the intended multiple dimensions of organizational relationships. However, documentation regarding criterion validity (e.g., correlation with external performance measures) or predictive validity was not provided in the source material.

Reliability

The scales demonstrate strong internal consistency reliability, as quantified by high estimates of coefficient alpha across both the unidimensional Receiver Information Scale (RIS) and the subscales of the Communication Relationships Scale (CRS).

Reliability estimates are summarized as follows:

• The Receiver Information Scale exhibited high internal consistency with a coefficient alpha estimate of 0.88.
• The Communication Relationships Scale demonstrated consistently strong reliability across its four subscales (factors):
• Immediate Supervisor: 0.94
• Personal Influence: 0.81
• Coworkers: 0.76
• Top Management: 0.88

Factor Analysis

A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the Communication Relationships Scale (CRS) items to determine its underlying factor structure. This analysis successfully identified and produced four distinct factors, confirming the scale’s intended multidimensional nature. These empirical factors correspond directly to the four relational subscales used for reliability assessment: immediate supervisor, personal influence, coworkers, and top management.

In contrast, the Receiver Information Scale (RIS) was analyzed and found to be a unidimensional scale. This suggests that the 13 items primarily load onto a single factor, indicating that they collectively measure the singular construct of overall information adequacy received by the employee, rather than separate dimensions of informational flow.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Organizational Communication Audit Instrument

Format: Likert-type scales (5-point response options)

Language Available: English (Original development language)

Population Group: Employees and professionals in organizational settings.

Age Group: Adults (Professional working age)

Population Details: One documented study utilized a sample of 300 faculty members drawn from a midwestern university in the United States.

Test Methodology: Structured paper-and-pencil or digital questionnaire administered in an organizational context, designed for diagnostic auditing of internal communication systems.

Keywords

ICA Communication Audit, Communication Satisfaction, Organizational Trust, Workplace Relationships, Likert Scale, Internal Communication, Subordinate Feedback, Principal Component Analysis.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The instrument was originally developed in 1977 by Goldhaber and colleagues as a key component of the ICA Communication Audit Survey Instrument. As this is a proprietary instrument stemming from the International Communication Association (ICA), current information regarding permissions for use, licensing fees, and access to the full instrument must be sought directly from the ICA or the intellectual property holders responsible for subsequent versions of the audit.

Reference’s

Goldhaber, G., et al. (1977). The ICA Communication Audit Survey Instrument: 1977 Organizational Norms. Paper presented at the International Communication Association Convention.

Goldhaber, G., et al. (1978). Organizational communication. Human Communication Research 5:79–96.

McDowell, E. E. (1985). Faculty members’ perceptions of information adequacy and communication relationships in their world of work. Paper presented at the Speech Communication Association. ERIC ED 263 638.

Goldhaber, G., et al. (1977). The ICA communication audit survey instrument. International Communication Association.

Items of the Communication Relationships Scale and Receiver Information Scale

Communication Relationship Scale

1. My relationship with the chair/head of my department is satisfying.
2. I trust my chair/head.
3. My chair/head listens to me.
4. My chair/head is honest with me.
5. My chair/head is friendly with his/her faculty members.
6. I can tell my chair/head when things are going wrong.
7. My chair/head praises me for a good job.
8. I have a say in decisions that affect my job.
9. I influence operations in my department.
10. I have a part in accomplishing my organization’s goals.
11. I trust my coworkers.
12. My coworkers get along with each other.
13. My relationship with my coworkers is satisfying.
14. I trust top management.
15. Top administrators are sincere in their efforts to communicate with faculty members.

Scoring: 1 = Strongly Agree; 2 = Agree; 3 = Uncertain; 4 = Disagree; and 5 = Strongly Disagree.

Receiving Information Scale

1. How well I am doing in my position
2. My job duties
3. Department policies
4. Pay and benefits
5. How technical changes affect my position
6. Mistakes and failures of my department
7. How I am being judged
8. How my job related problems are being handled
9. How department decisions are made that affect my position
10. Promotion and advancement opportunities in my department
11. Important new program developments in my organization
12. How my job relates to the total department
13. Specific problems faced by administration

Scoring: 1 = Very Little; 2 = Little; 3 = Some; 4 = Great; and 5 = Very Great.