Army Command Climate: Phase 2 Investigation of the Viability of Single-Item Measures
Abstract
Across two previous research studies, the U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI) developed a prototype method for reducing the length of the command climate survey and found preliminary support for the feasibility of using a single-item assessment as a quick health-check on the command climate of a unit. This project builds on past work by investigating the reliability and validity of revised command climate measures. The project team first revised the survey measures of command climate by refining the number of climate dimensions for use in the current project, revising climate items, and refining and developing corresponding diagnostic items. In the next project phase, the project team collected survey data from 2,589 Soldiers from 107 companies across 14 locations to investigate the psychometric properties and criterion-related validities of the measures. Results showed strong support for the reliability of the multi-item assessment and moderate support for the reliability of the single-item assessment. Convergent validities of the single items with the multi-item scales were at or above .79 for all 12 scales, and predictive validities with proposed outcomes for the single items were comparable to predictive validities associated with the multi-item scales. Criterion-related validity evidence was generally strong for the multi-item and single-item measures. The team examined the validity of the practical application of the single-item assessment and results indicated that use of a single-item measure would produce almost exactly the same results regarding which dimensions might indicate a climate issue, as would a longer, multi-item survey. The measures developed for this project can provide Army leaders with a short, useful assessment to help them assess climate within their units and identify potential problems. The method would reduce survey burden by significantly shortening command climate surveys.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2022
- Accession Number
- AD1184164
Entities
People
- Chelsey Byrd
- Cory Adis
- Eleanor Lovering
- Evan Hughes
- Jaclyn Martin
- Jessica B Darrow
- Kristen E. Horgen
- Paul Bliese
Organizations
- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences
- University of South Carolina