motivational analysis of organizations

Those who score high on entrepreneurial externality are those who believe that the
success of entrepreneurs depends on factors such as chance, political climate,
community conditions, and economic environment—factors beyond their own
capabilities and control.
Administration of the Instrument
The inventory should be administered on the first day of a training program, before any
theoretical input is provided, because discussion of the concepts involved could
influence the participants’ responses to the form. It also is advisable to administer the
inventory along with another instrument (such as Rotter’s [1966] E-I scale or
Levenson’s [1973] LOC scale) to measure generalized locus of control.
There are twenty pairs of items in the inventory. For each pair, the respondent is
instructed to distribute five points between the two items, depending on the extent to
which he or she agrees with each item.
There is no time limit for completing the inventory; however, it should not take
more than fifteen minutes. Some respondents may complete it in six to seven minutes.
Scoring
The inventory uses the paired-comparison method of response. In each pair of items, one
reflects an external focus and the other an internal focus. The respondent is required to
indicate agreement more with one item than with the other by distributing an odd
number of points (5), thus avoiding equal distribution. Separating the scores for internal
items from those for external items over the twenty sets results in two scores (internal
and external) for each participant. The two scores should add up to one hundred points.
After participants complete the inventory form, the scoring sheet, which is selfexplanatory,
should be distributed. The administrator should help the participants to
calculate their internal/external ratios, as indicated on the scoring sheet.
Interpretation and Use
If both of a respondent’s scores are equal, it indicates that the respondent is as external
as he or she is internal in terms of entrepreneurial activities. If one of the scores is
greater than fifty, it indicates more of that orientation. The higher a person scores above
fifty, the stronger is that orientation. Thus, a person who scores eighty on internal locus
and twenty on external locus is indicating a strong internal orientation. Although
entrepreneurial internality or externality is highly correlated with general externalityinternality
or general locus of control, there may not be complete agreement between
these two measures. The possibility exists that an individual who is internally oriented in
general life situations may report an external orientation in regard to entrepreneurial
experiences. This might occur if the person has had cumulative negative experiences in
entrepreneurial ventures. However, the possibility that a person who is external in
general life situations will be indicated as internal on the inventory is much less.
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 19, 2nd Edition. Copyright © 1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer ❚❘ 29