Counterproductive Work Behavior Checklist (CWB-C)

Abstract

The Counterproductive Work Behavior Checklist (CWB-C) is a widely utilized, self-report instrument designed to measure the frequency of behaviors exhibited by employees that intentionally harm or detract from the interests of the organization or its members. Developed primarily by Paul E. Spector and his colleagues, the CWB-C exists in multiple forms, including a comprehensive 45-item version and shorter 32-item and 10-item versions. The scale is foundational in industrial and organizational psychology studies, particularly for assessing behaviors such as production deviance, theft, sabotage, and various forms of interpersonal abuse, providing robust measures of Counterproductive Work Behavior (CWB).

Keywords

Counterproductive Work Behavior, CWB-C, Organizational Deviance, Workplace Misconduct, Job Performance, Employee Theft, Production Deviance, Organizational Psychology, Paul Spector.

Authors

Paul E. Spector, S. Fox, P. L. Storms, L. M. Penney, K. Bruursema, A. P. S. Goh, S. Kessler, J. A. Bauer.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CWB-C is to provide researchers and practitioners with a reliable and valid measure of the breadth and frequency of destructive and harmful employee actions in the workplace. This instrument allows for the systematic quantification of behaviors that violate organizational norms and threaten the well-being of the organization or its constituents. It is often used to examine antecedents (e.g., job stress, frustration, personality traits) and consequences of maladaptive workplace behavior.

The scale’s comprehensive nature, especially in the 45-item version, ensures that a wide spectrum of CWB is captured, ranging from minor acts of withdrawal (like daydreaming or taking long breaks) to serious actions like theft and physical violence. The resulting scores can be used to inform selection, training, and intervention strategies aimed at mitigating organizational risk and improving overall workplace conduct.

Construct

The CWB-C measures the psychological construct of Counterproductive Work Behavior, which is defined as any volitional action by an employee that harms or is intended to harm the organization or organizational members. CWB is typically conceptualized as a multi-dimensional construct. The CWB-C is particularly known for differentiating between two primary targets of misconduct: CWB directed toward the organization (CWB-O) and CWB directed toward specific individuals (CWB-P).

The items cover both active and passive forms of deviance, including actions that directly damage property (sabotage), those that slow down productivity (production deviance), and interpersonal conflict (abuse). By separating these dimensions, the CWB-C provides a nuanced profile of deviance that is essential for advanced research into workplace misconduct and organizational health.

Validity

The validity of the CWB-C has been extensively supported across numerous studies, particularly those published by Spector and colleagues (2006, 2010). Research confirms strong construct validity, demonstrating that the scale effectively measures the intended dimensions of counterproductivity and is distinguishable from related, but distinct, constructs such as organizational citizenship behavior (OCB).

Furthermore, the scale exhibits predictive validity, consistently showing significant correlations with various antecedents, including personality traits, job frustration, and perceived organizational injustice. The maintenance of robust factor structures across different samples, as discussed in the factor analysis literature, also supports the cross-sample generalizability of the measure.

Reliability

The CWB-C demonstrates excellent internal consistency reliability across its various factor structures and the total score. The reported Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients indicate high levels of reliability, suggesting that the items within each subscale consistently measure the same underlying dimension. The total CWB score generally exhibits the highest reliability.

Specific internal consistency estimates provided in the source material include:

• CWB-Total: 0.90
• CWB-Organization (CWB-O): 0.86
• CWB-Person (CWB-P): 0.86

For the 5-factor scoring model derived from the 32-item version, the reliability coefficients are also reported:

• Abuse: 0.85
• Production Deviance: 0.63
• Sabotage: 0.55
• Theft: 0.63
• Withdrawal: 0.64

Factor Analysis

The CWB-C supports multiple structural models, reflecting the complex dimensionality of counterproductive behavior. The most commonly cited structure is the **two-factor model**, which distinguishes between behaviors targeted at the organization (CWB-O) and behaviors targeted at individuals (CWB-P). This model provides a practical and highly reliable measure of the primary targets of deviance. The reliability coefficients for both factors (.86 each) support this distinct categorization.

Research using the CWB-C has also supported a more granular **five-factor model** (often utilized with the 32-item version), breaking down CWB into specific categories. These five factors are Abuse, Production Deviance, Sabotage, Theft, and Withdrawal. This detailed factor analysis allows researchers to pinpoint the specific types of misconduct occurring, enhancing diagnostic utility and providing deeper insight into the motivation behind the counterproductive acts.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report behavioral frequency checklist.

Format: Multiple versions (45-item, 32-item, 10-item short form). Items are rated on a 5-point frequency scale.

Language Available: Primarily English; widely translated for international organizational psychology research.

Population Group: Employees, workers, and organizational members across various industries and job roles.

Age Group: Adult working population.

Population Details: Applicable to diverse organizational settings where measurement of employee deviance is necessary.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate how often they have engaged in each listed behavior on their present job, using the following scale:

1. Never
2. Once or Twice
3. Once or Twice per month
4. Once or twice per week
5. Every day

Keywords

Workplace Deviance, Employee Misconduct, Organizational Behavior, Sabotage, Theft, Abuse, Withdrawal, Production Deviance, CWB-O, CWB-P.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The CWB-C is generally available for non-commercial research use, often without charge, provided proper citation is given. Conditions for use are explicitly detailed by the primary author, Paul E. Spector, and must be adhered to. The original conceptual foundation for measuring organizational frustration and behavioral reactions dates back to 1975, with the modern CWB-C psychometric validation being established in the early 2000s.

Information regarding the scale access can be found here: http://paulspector.com/scales/our-assessments/

Conditions for use are detailed here: http://paulspector.com/scales/our-assessments/conditions-for-using-these-assessments/

Reference’s

The CWB-C draws upon extensive research into organizational deviance and frustration. Key publications validating and utilizing the scale include:

• Spector, P. E. (1975). Relationships of organizational frustration with reported behavioral reactions of employees. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60, 635-637.
• Storms, P. L., & Spector, P. E. (1987). Relationships of organizational frustration with reported behavioral reactions: The moderating effect of perceived control. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 60, 227-234.
• Spector, P. E., & Fox, S. (2003). Emotional experience at work: Assessing emotions with the Job-related Affective Well-being Scale (JAWS). Paper presented at the meeting of the Southern Management Association, Clearwater Beach, FL, November, 12-15.
• Spector, P. E., Fox, S., Goh, A. P. S., & Bruursema, K. (2003). Counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior: Are they opposites? Paper presented at the meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Orlando, April 11-13.
• Spector, P. E., Fox, S., Penney, L. M., Bruursema, K., Goh, A., & Kessler, S. (2006). The dimensionality of counterproductivity: Are all counterproductive behaviors created equal? Journal of Vocational Behavior, 68, 446-460.
• Spector, P. E., Bauer, J. A., & Fox, S. (2010). Measurement artifacts in the assessment of counterproductive work behavior and organizational citizenship behavior: Do we know what we think we know? Journal of Applied Psychology, 95(4), 781-790.

Items of the Counterproductive Work Behavior Checklist (CWB-C)

Instruction: How often have you done each of the following things on your present job?

45-Item Version

1. Purposely wasted your employer’s materials/supplies
2. Daydreamed rather than did your work
3. Complained about insignificant things at work
4. Told people outside the job what a lousy place you work for
5. Purposely did your work incorrectly
6. Came to work late without permission
7. Stayed home from work and said you were sick when you weren’t
8. Purposely damaged a piece of equipment or property
9. Purposely dirtied or littered your place of work
10. Stolen something belonging to your employer
11. Started or continued a damaging or harmful rumor at work
12. Been nasty or rude to a client or customer
13. Purposely worked slowly when things needed to get done
14. Refused to take on an assignment when asked
15. Purposely came late to an appointment or meeting
16. Failed to report a problem so it would get worse
17. Taken a longer break than you were allowed to take
18. Purposely failed to follow instructions
19. Left work earlier than you were allowed to
20. Insulted someone about their job performance
21. Made fun of someone’s personal life
22. Took supplies or tools home without permission
23. Tried to look busy while doing nothing
24. Put in to be paid for more hours than you worked
25. Took money from your employer without permission
26. Ignored someone at work
27. Refused to help someone at work
28. Withheld needed information from someone at work
29. Purposely interfered with someone at work doing his/her job
30. Blamed someone at work for error you made
31. Started an argument with someone at work
32. Stole something belonging to someone at work
33. Verbally abused someone at work
34. Made an obscene gesture (the finger) to someone at work
35. Threatened someone at work with violence
36. Threatened someone at work, but not physically
37. Said something obscene to someone at work to make them feel bad
38. Hid something so someone at work couldn’t find it
39. Did something to make someone at work look bad
40. Played a mean prank to embarrass someone at work
41. Destroyed property belonging to someone at work
42. Looked at someone at work’s private mail/property without permission
43. Hit or pushed someone at work
44. Insulted or made fun of someone at work
45. Avoided returning a phone call to someone you should at work

32-Item Version

1. Purposely wasted your employer’s materials/supplies
2. Purposely did your work incorrectly
3. Came to work late without permission
4. Stayed home from work and said you were sick when you weren’t
5. Purposely damaged a piece of equipment or property
6. Purposely dirtied or littered your place of work
7. Stolen something belonging to your employer
8. Started or continued a damaging or harmful rumor at work
9. Been nasty or rude to a client or customer
10. Purposely worked slowly when things needed to get done
11. Taken a longer break than you were allowed to take
12. Purposely failed to follow instructions
13. Left work earlier than you were allowed to
14. Insulted someone about their job performance
15. Made fun of someone’s personal life
16. Took supplies or tools home without permission
17. Put in to be paid for more hours than you worked
18. Took money from your employer without permission
19. Ignored someone at work
20. Blamed someone at work for error you made
21. Started an argument with someone at work
22. Stole something belonging to someone at work
23. Verbally abused someone at work
24. Made an obscene gesture (the finger) to someone at work
25. Threatened someone at work with violence
26. Threatened someone at work, but not physically
27. Said something obscene to someone at work to make them feel bad
28. Did something to make someone at work look bad
29. Played a mean prank to embarrass someone at work
30. Looked at someone at work’s private mail/property without permission
31. Hit or pushed someone at work
32. Insulted or made fun of someone at work

10-Item Short Version

1. Purposely wasted your employer’s materials/supplies
2. Complained about insignificant things at work
3. Told people outside the job what a lousy place you work for
4. Came to work late without permission
5. Stayed home from work and said you were sick when you weren’t
6. Insulted someone about their job performance
7. Made fun of someone’s personal life
8. Ignored someone at work
9. Started an argument with someone at work
10. Insulted or made fun of someone at work

Scoring Keys (CWB-C)

To score the CWB-C 45 items:

• CWB organization: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, and 25.
• CWB person: 11, 20, 21, 26-44.

To score the CWB-C 32 items (5-factor solution):

• Abuse: 8, 9, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 23-32.
• Production deviance: 2, 10, and 12.
• Sabotage: 1, 5, 6.
• Theft: 7, 16, 17, 18, 22.
• Withdrawal: 3, 4, 11, 13.