Perceived Organizational Innovativeness Scale (PORGI)

An innovation is an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as new by an individual or other unit of adoption (like an organization). People and organizations vary a great deal in their "innovativeness." Innovativeness has to do with how early in the process of adoption of new ideas, practices, etc. that the individual or organization is likely to accept a change.

The organizational innovativeness scale was designed to measure a member of an organization's perception of the organizations orientations toward change. Research has indicated that this orientation is associated with several patterns of behavior (including communication) relating to change. The organizational innovativeness scale has been found to be highly reliable ( alpha above .90) and the predictive validity is very good.

Directions: Organizations respond to change in different ways. The statements below refer to some of the ways members of organizations perceive their organizations' to be. Please indicate the degree to which you agree that the statement describes your organization. In the blank just before the statement, indicate whether you:

Strongly Disagree = 1; Disagree = 2; are Undecided; Agree = 4; Strongly Agree = 5

My Organization is:

_______ 1. cautious about accepting new ideas.

_______ 2. a leader among other organizations.

_______ 3. suspicious of new ways of thinking.

_______ 4. very inventive.

_______ 5. often consulted by other organizations for advice and information.

_______ 6. skeptical of new ideas.

_______ 7. creative in its method of operation.

_______ 8. usually one of the last of its kind to change to a new method of operation.

_______ 9. considered one of the leaders of its type.

_______10. receptive to new ideas.

_______11. challenged by new ideas.

_______12. follows the belief that "the old way of doing things is the best."

_______13. very original in its operational procedures.

_______14. does not respond quickly enough to necessary changes.

_______15. reluctant to adopt new was of doing things until other organizations have used them successfully.

_______16. frequently initiates new methods of operations.

_______17. slow to change.

_______18. rarely involves employees in the decision-making process.

_______19. maintains good communication between supervisors and employees.

_______20. influential with other organizations.

_______21. seeks out new ways to do things.

_______22. rarely trusts new ideas and ways of functioning.

_______23. never satisfactorily explains to employees the reasons for procedural changes.

_______24. frequently tries out new ideas.

_______25. willing and ready to accept outside help when necessary.

Scoring:

Step 1. Add the scores for the following items: 1, 3, 6, 8, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 22, and 23.

Step 2. Add the scores for the following items: 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 21, 24, and 25.

Step 3. Complete the following formula. PORGI = 66 + total from Step 2 - total from step 1.

Scores can range between 25 and 125.

Scores above 110 indicate the organization can be classified as "innovative."

Scores between 91 and 110 indicate the organization is an "early adopter."

Scores between 71 and 90 indicate the organization is in the "early majority."

Scores between 50 and 70 indicate the organization is in the "late majority."

Scores below 50 indicate the organization can be classified as a "laggard" or "traditional."

Generally, Organizations which score above 90 are high in innovativeness. Those scoring below 50 are low in innovativeness. Those scoring between 50 and 90 are moderate in innovativeness.

Source:

Hurt, H. T., & Teigen, C. W. (1977). The development of a measure of perceived organizational innovativeness. In B. R. Ruben (Ed.), Communication Yearbook I (pp.377-385). New Brunswick , NJ: Transaction Books.