An examination of the structural utility of the Canadian Forces Conditions of Service Questionnaire

Abstract

The Canadian Forces Conditions of Service Questionnaire (CFCSQ; Oakes, 1991) captures important information regarding the impact of policies, programs and service support on the well being of Canadian Forces members. The purpose of the CFCSQ is to obtain information that will provide senior military executives with a reliable profile of personnel attitudes and perceptions towards those conditions of service which might serve as sources of dissatisfaction with military life. Specifically, the CFCSQ captures information on compensation and benefits policies (pay, promotion, education and training, etc.), overall job satisfaction, current employment as well as working conditions (i.e., leadership, peer relationships) and intentions to stay or leave the CF. The CFCSQ was based on Mobley, Griffeth, Hand and Meglino's (1979) Expanded Turnover Process model. The CFCSQ was administered to 3275 officers and non-commissioned members serving in the CF in June 1993. This study, using that data set, (1) examined how well the Mobley et al model fit the CFCSQ data; (2) examined the factor structure of the different scales embedded in the CFCSQ and, (3) determined if the policies and procedures measured by the CFCSQ, had a differential impact on the turnover behavior of operational members of the Airforce, Army and Navy. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)