A practical scale for Multi-Faceted Organizational Health Climate Assessment

J Occup Health Psychol. 2016 Apr;21(2):250-9. doi: 10.1037/a0039895. Epub 2015 Nov 16.

Abstract

The current study sought to develop a practical scale to measure 3 facets of workplace health climate from the employee perspective as an important component of a healthy organization. The goal was to create a short, usable yet comprehensive scale that organizations and occupational health professionals could use to determine if workplace health interventions were needed. The proposed Multi-faceted Organizational Health Climate Assessment (MOHCA) scale assesses facets that correspond to 3 organizational levels: (a) workgroup, (b) supervisor, and (c) organization. Ten items were developed and tested on 2 distinct samples, 1 cross-organization and 1 within-organization. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses yielded a 9-item, hierarchical 3-factor structure. Tests confirmed MOHCA has convergent validity with related constructs, such as perceived organizational support and supervisor support, as well as discriminant validity with safety climate. Lastly, criterion-related validity was found between MOHCA and health-related outcomes. The multi-faceted nature of MOHCA provides a scale that has face validity and can be easily translated into practice, offering a means for diagnosing the shortcomings of an organization or workgroup's health climate to better plan health and well-being interventions.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Factor Analysis, Statistical
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Occupational Health / standards*
  • Occupational Health / statistics & numerical data
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Workplace / organization & administration
  • Workplace / standards*
  • Workplace / statistics & numerical data