Beyond Just Hours Worked : Further Validation of the Workaholism Analysis Questionnaire

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to validate a new measure of workaholism, the Workaholism Analysis Questionnaire (WAQ), which was developed to address the methodological flaws of existing measures. The WAQ is a unidimensional measure that focuses on the work drive component of workaholism and its effect on work-life balance. The current study used a heterogeneous, working-professional sample to ensure the generalizability of the results. The WAQ's content validity was displayed when 14 graduate students discerned the 30 WAQ items from a pool of 40 items 89% of the time. In addition, the WAQ demonstrated discriminant validity by not correlating well with unrelated constructs, namely, the affective commitment and normative commitment subscales of Allen and Meyer's (1990) Three-Component Model of organizational commitment. Also, the WAQ showed concurrent validity by correlating well with a related construct, Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD). Finally, convergent validity was seen in that the WAQ correlated well with the Work Addiction Risk Test (WART), an existing and psychometrically sound measure of workaholism. In addition, a hierarchical regression analysis found that the WAQ explained incremental variance in OCPD beyond the WART. The development and validation of the WAQ is a substantial step in the right direction towards creating a unified definition of workaholism, as well as developing a reliable and valid measure for assessment purposes. Study limitations, directions for future research, and practical implications of this study are discussed.