Competitive Psychological Climate in China: Scale Development and Validation

Abstract

To provide a comprehensive understanding of the competitive psychological climate, this research developed and validated the Competitive Psychological Climate Scale (CPCS) in China through three studies. In Study 1 ( N = 293), a large pool of items were developed and exploratory factor analysis was conducted, resulting in three 4-item scales representing competition of performance, competition of Guanxi with superior, and competition inspired by coworkers. In Study 2 ( N = 291), confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that a three-factor model offered the strongest fit to the data. Configural, metric, and scalar invariance were achieved. Moreover, concurrent validity, convergent, discriminant validity was preliminarily evidenced. In Study 3 ( N = 411), results from the two-wave data evidenced predictive validity by demonstrating that the three dimensions of the CPCS had unique and significant impacts in predicting silence and career satisfaction through emotional exhaustion. The development of CPCS provides a useful tool for researchers and practitioners to understand the mixed effects of competitive psychological climate.