Construction and initial validation of a scale of attachment to work objects - WOAS

Abstract

This article presents the results of a series of five studies to construct and validate a Workplace Objects Attachment Scale (WOAS). In total, 851 people employed in various professional sectors (health, education or services) participated in five successive studies. A questionnaire of attachment to objects in the workplace was constructed, based on Scrima's (2015) research and taking a qualitative approach (Study 1). Study 2 revealed that the questionnaire has a unidimensional factor structure, which was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (Study 3). The questionnaire was shown to have good reliability, as evaluated by its temporal stability over a time span of 3 weeks (Study 4). As expected, we found positive links between the WOAS and the emotional dimensions of the Workplace Attachment Scale, Organizational Commitment Scale and Organizational Citizenship Behaviour scale, and a negative link between workplace object attachment and the intention to leave the organisation (Study 5).