Introduction and Purpose
Employees want to be appreciated in the workplace for various reasons, including individual traits and work-related behaviors. The perception and signals of appreciation are shared among employees and can therefore be experienced as an organizational climate of appreciation. An appreciative climate is defined as an organizational environment in which employees receive signals that their individual characteristics, work behaviors, and competencies are valued. While existing appreciation measures primarily capture the appreciation directed at and perceived by individual employees, this study aims to develop a one-dimensional, reliable, and valid scale for assessing the organizational climate of appreciation.
Method
An extensive item generation process was followed, comprising: (1) reviewing literature for suitable items, (2) conducting interviews with employees (N = 5), and (3) incorporating feedback from experts (N = 5). The resulting item pool of 15 items was piloted with an online-survey on a sample of 133 German-speaking employees. Using the same online-survey, dimensionality was established using a sample of 284 German-speaking employees and replicated with a second sample of 293. This second sample was also used to evaluate the scale's validity and reliability. To demonstrate criterion validity, the surveys included scales on job satisfaction, organizational identification, and turnover intention. Construct validity was assessed using items related to appreciation by colleagues and superiors. The study was deemed ethically sound and was pre-registered on the Open Science Framework.
Results
We created a one-dimensional scale consisting of six items that measures the organizational appreciation climate. The scale demonstrated reliability as well as criterion and construct validity.
Implications and future research
This scale enables researchers and work psychologists to assess the prevailing appreciation climate in organizations. A revalidation of the scale in Scandinavia and the US is already planned, with data collection starting in October 2025.