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Summary
An Error Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ) was developed, consisting of eight scales on attitudes to and on coping with errors at work. In Study I (representative sample of a German city, A'= 478) six scales were developed with the help of a confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL techniques. They comprise error competence, learning from errors, error risk taking, error strain, error anticipation, covering up errors. All constructs were validated. In a second study, items were added to the scales and two additional scales, 'error communication' and 'thinking about errors', were included. The scales were translated into English and Dutch and 160 students in the Netherlands filled out both language versions (Study II). The 8-factor solutions in English and Dutch were replicated. The issue of language equivalence of these two language versions were taken up (equivalence across correlations exists). Potentially biasing variables did not influence the solutions. Practical uses of the EOQ are pointed out. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Introduction
It is our objective to present the development of scales that measure how one copes with and how one thinks about errors at work. Since we believe that this instrument should be used in various European countries, we thought it would be necessary to present it in different languages from the start. Therefore, we will present the construction of reliable and comparable scales in German, Dutch and English-the Error Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ). In addition, the constructs have been validated.
Errors are an important issue in work psychology for various reasons. First, it is the raw material that produces stress, accidents, inefficient human-machine interaction, quality and performance problems, and a bad climate. Thus, many recurrent problems in industry are related to the issue of errors, for example, the Three Mile Island accident or Leeson's 1.5 billion dollar loss. Second, attitudes towards errors and how one deals with them are indications of a company's organizational culture. Bureaucratic companies usually attempt to prevent errors at all costs, while entrepreneural cultures have a more positive attitude towards errors and what one can learn from them. Thirdly, if a company attempts to change its culture or if one wants to introduce the issue of error in selection procedures, one needs a measure of error orientation.
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