International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management

Employee work adjustment scale for small and medium-sized enterprises in

Thailand
Khahan Na-Nan,
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Employee
Employee work adjustment scale work
for small and medium-sized adjustment
scale
enterprises in Thailand
Khahan Na-Nan
Faculty of Business Administration,
Received 9 July 2018
Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi, Khlong Hok, Thailand Revised 31 August 2018
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12 December 2018
Accepted 19 January 2019
Abstract
Purpose – Employee work adjustment (EWA) represents the ability of individuals to adjust effectively to
working conditions, supervisors, the environment and their peers. To deal with work adjustment in different
environments, companies need to both understand and continually assess their employees. The purpose of this
paper is to develop an instrument to measure EWA for small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Thailand.
Design/methodology/approach – The study was conducted in three stages to develop a measurement scale
for EWA. First, 18 questions were developed as a questionnaire based on concepts and theories of EWA and
validated using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) into four dimensions such as work, supervisor, environment
and peer adjustments. Then, a survey was conducted for 360 new employees in SMEs. Finally, confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) and convergent validity were tested along the four adjustment dimensions.
Findings – This research extended and broadened the EWA concept to provide theoretical support for the
adjustment of intelligence research. Four dimensions were developed to measure EWA including aspects of
work, supervisor, environment and peer.
Research limitations/implications – The EWA model was examined using EFA and CFA only.
Questionnaire results suggested that concrete constructs were stronger because of single-source, self-assessed
data collection as the sample included only employees of SMEs in high-growth sectors of Thailand. EWA
findings exhibited a good fit but results require further future refinement and validation using a larger
sample size and sampling area.
Practical implications – The EWA questionnaire has practical use regarding management behaviour and
can assist companies and practitioners to better understand the required adjustments for new employees at
start-up. This knowledge will help managers to encourage and support newcomers to work better and deliver
effective results. Managers and practitioners can develop and hone work adjustment practices for new
recruits according to the four dimensions proposed here.
Originality/value – The validity of this EWA questionnaire will facilitate the future study on boundaries
with EWA measurements spanning SMEs contexts. Empirical research results verified that EWA
assessment offered new perspectives to explore vital individual work adjustments that are necessary for new
recruits to succeed. This instrumental support will help researchers to effectively understand EWA and
explore its potential in future studies.
Keywords Scale validation, Work adjustment, Employee work adjustment, SMEs’ employee adjustment,
Work adjustment questionnaire
Paper type Research paper

Introduction
Employee work adjustment (EWA) is of vital significance for new recruits because
employees who quickly adjust to new conditions can work effectively with colleagues and
deliver satisfactory output. This reduces staff turnover and cost of human resource
management. EWA is a continuous process whereby internal or external employees strive
to fulfil the duties entrusted to them to maintain and achieve satisfactory work output
within the relevant environment (Haidari et al., 2016). In addition, employees are better able
to solve problems if they can adjust their behaviour in harmony with the work environment
(Na-Nan and Pukkeeree, 2013). Na-Nan (2013) stated that employees who are unable to
adjust to the prevailing environmental conditions will experience discomfort. Eventually, International Journal of Quality &
Reliability Management
this will impact on their minds, destroying their personality and impairing mental health, © Emerald Publishing Limited
0265-671X
and they will become neurotic. Work adjustment is a very useful concept to reduce tension DOI 10.1108/IJQRM-07-2018-0178
 IJQRM and frustration or disappointment in new contexts or circumstances. For this reason, it is
important for organisations to continuously strive to improve EWA.
EWA is an indicator of an employee’s abilities. Different environments impose diverse
requirements for successful work relations, and adjustments create a state of correspondence
between the individual and the environment to generate high performance ( Judge, 1994; Dawis
and Lofquist, 1984; Na-Nan, Joungtrakul and Dhienhirun, 2018; Lee et al., 2017; Strauser David
and Lustig Daniel, 2011). In addition, EWA is a significant contributing factor to individuals,
teams and company success by promoting the ability of employees to adjust which then leads
to high effective performance. Furthermore, EWA is a vital criterion for employees and teams
for optimum output and success (Wahat, 2008). Thus, human resource developers, consultants
and individual companies should strive to encourage and improve EWA (Haueter et al., 2003;
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Firth et al., 2014; Na-Nan, Joungtrakul and Dhienhirun, 2018).

Developing a reliable tool to evaluate EWA on a continual basis is of paramount
importance. This will ensure high employee performance and increase company potential.
Previous research confirmed that measuring EWA promotes and enhances an employee’s
ability to adjust to a new environment (Black, 1988; Black and Gregersen, 1991; Dawis and
Lofquist, 1984; Taiwan et al., 2017). According to Dawis and Lofquist (1984), EWA
measurements should take into account the environmental dimension of work adjustment.
Black (1988), Black and Gregersen (1991), Haidari et al. (2016), Na-Nan (2013) and Wahat
(2008) all stated that the measurement of EWA requires the consideration of EWA,
environment adjustment and colleague adjustment. Additionally, Ask and Magnussen
(2015) and Thun et al. (2013) identified one of the greatest challenges which employees faced
as adjustment to management and supervision styles.
Thus, attention should focus on EWA measurement. Both researchers and practitioners
can benefit from good instruments to measure EWA to illustrate the output of EWA (Fairlie,
2014; Terry and Callan, 1997). However, previous research on instruments to measure EWA
has only focused on two or three work adjustment dimensions (Black, 1988; Black and
Gregersen, 1991; Na-Nan, 2013; Taiwan et al., 2017; Wahat, 2008). Research on EWA
questionnaires and measurement scales has been reported from several literature reviews.
Our data from EWA questionnaires and measurement scales were sourced using ProQuest,
EBSCO, Emerald, ScienceDirect and SpringerLink. However, few were up-to-date, with data
mostly relevant in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Many scholars and researchers interested in EWA have concentrated their efforts on large
operations or expatriate multi-companies. The original idea, proposed at the end of the
nineteenth century, believed that these could support and induce the prosperity of national
economies (Wang, 2016). SMEs were neglected, and therefore information or empirical
research to explain the phenomenon of SMEs is lacking. However, nowadays, ideas have
changed. The significant roles of SMEs cannot be underestimated and their expansion boosts
employment more than large organisations (Taiwo et al., 2012). Scholars and researchers must
now refocus and investigate in-depth knowledge to create concrete theories which explain the
phenomenon of SMEs (Muriithi et al., 2017). An EWA survey found that 20–40 per cent of
respondents were unable to adjust to their new environment (Black, 1988; Mendenhall and
Oddou, 1985; Tung, 1981). In Thailand, where SMEs have driven the national economy, a
survey of various industries concerning the EWA of SMEs found that employees had bad
attitudes and were unable to adjust to new company environments (Na-Nan et al., 2017). These
reasons made employees leave work and change jobs frequently (Prachachatonline, 2012).
This proved a significant problem and researchers were curious why more than 50 per cent of
new employees were unable to adjust to working conditions.
Scant research regarding EWA has been conducted in Thailand. Several literature
reviews were sourced using data from the Thai-Journal Citation Index Centre, ThaiLIS-Thai
Library Integrated System and research conducted on samples working in large firms.
 Questionnaires used in previous research were adapted or adjusted from Western countries Employee
which operate under different contexts and do not focus greatly on SMEs. One significant work
problem in the Thai context is that SMEs lack their own specific concepts and instruments. adjustment
Many practitioners were curious why a relevant questionnaire had not been developed to
assess EWA in Thailand. scale
Thus, there is a lack of an all-encompassing EWA assessment tool. Moreover,
practitioners and researchers need instruments to evaluate EWA (Na-Nan, 2013). This
empirical research developed a comprehensive questionnaire to address this deficiency
which encompassed the four EWA dimensions such as work adjustment, environment
adjustment, peer adjustment and supervisor adjustment. The questionnaire was validated
for reliability using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) followed by confirmatory factor
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analysis (CFA).

Literature review
The theory of work adjustment addresses the relationship between the individual and his or
her work environment regarding the contexts of psychology, human resource development,
organisational behaviour and industrial relations. This theory was first introduced by
Dawis et al. (1964) to describe the relationship of the individual to his/her work environment.
Later, Arkoff (1968) and Nicholson (1984) suggested that role adjustment in the workplace
was fundamental for new company employees. The theory of work adjustment has been
used as a guiding framework to understand how new employees adjust to new situations.
For example, new employees will bring their own knowledge, skills and attitudes to
perform tasks when their work environment changes. Compensation measures help
new employees to adjust and deliver effective outputs. The theory of work adjustment
is very useful to explain employee behaviour and maximises their potential to deliver high
company performance.
Scott and Kowalski (2011) stated that new employees face big changes when they accept
membership in an organisation which require adjusting to new tasks, environments,
colleagues and supervisors. Dawis and Lofquist (1984) described EWA as an individual effort
to achieve his/her goals. Effective work adjustment also assists employees to interact with
colleagues and the new environment to form interpersonal relationships. Work adjustment
can be defined as the psychological state of a person concerning feelings of environment that
experienced (Black, 1988; Na-Nan and Pukkeeree, 2013). Arkoff (1968) divided individual
adjustment into three main categories: terms of vocational maturity intern that human will
increase a level of proficiency to their vocation; the idea of orderly progression involves the
characteristics of individuals who have the progress and achievement in their career, in
addition, they develop abilities to achieve goals; the motion of job satisfaction in terms of he/
she has a satisfaction with his/her jobs or task based on individual adjustment abilities.
Recent research on expatriate adjustment has focused on three-adjustment dimensions
proposed by Black (1988) and Black and Gregersen (1991). This three-dimensional view of
work adjustment consists of work adjustment regarding supervision, task responsibility
and performance expectations; interaction adjustment involving speaking and socialising
towards host country nationals; and general living adjustment towards food, housing and
shopping. Research by Taiwan et al. (2017) and Tawai et al. (2017) suggested that work
adjustment encompassed three dimensions. The first dimension was general adjustment of
global expatriate life. Typical literature indicated that empirical expatriate adjustment was
operationalised through self-reporting or other general or global changes, satisfaction and
difficulties in daily life modifications (e.g. living conditions or transportation adjustment).
The second dimension was work adjustment which reflected the extent to which expatriates
successfully adjusted and adapted to their job responsibilities. Self-reporting and other
reported measures of work adjustment were selected from Black et al. (1992). The third
 IJQRM dimension as interaction adjustment measured the effective success of expatriates
related to their interpersonal relations with others. The difference between sociocultural
and interaction adjustment was measured as the successful adjustment of interpersonal
relations with others (interaction adjustment), embracing the host nation’s social and
cultural traits (beliefs and customs) and adjustment to the new environment. Literature
regarding empirical expatriate adjustment was examined as interaction adjustment,
interactions with host country and co-nationals and problems with colleagues.
Literature reviews on EWA were divided into four aspects such as adjust to work, adjust
to environment, adjust to peers and adjust to supervisors as follows.
First, adjust to work represents a level of ability or potential of new employees to execute
tasks they are given and take responsibility for problems experienced during their initial
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working period (Arkoff, 1968; Black and Gregersen, 1991). This is vitally important for work
adjustment success. The new employee brings knowledge, skills and attitude to work and
tries to deliver acceptable output (Dawis and Lofquist, 1984). On occasionally they use their
experiences as a sinificant factor to solve on the job working problem properly. Those can
be called as an implicit knowledge, which indicate self-adjustment to the works. They will
live and learn from their department in order to survive for fitness. This could help new
employees adjust to work and create a basis to generate high performance. New employees
who actively look for ways and methods to deliver output better and faster will show their
high potential to supervisors or employers. Knowledge, skills and attitudes of employees are
essential and must be flexible and adaptable. New employees should always try to think
positively and maximise their abilities to complete assigned tasks.
Second, adjust to environment is the personal ability to accept or adapt to company
structure, communication systems, commands and decentralisation that new employees face
in their work (Ashforth et al., 1998; Black and Gregersen, 1991; Cooper-Thomas et al., 2011;
Shimoni et al., 2005). Each company has its own rules and regulations. The company
environment may contradict with an individual’s beliefs. New employees bring their own life
experiences and backgrounds with them and these shape how they perceive and adjust to
their new environment. For example, some employees may easily adapt to the new working
environment, whereas others may struggle significantly in this area. A “culture shock” is a
common description of feelings encompassing confusion, stress and disorientation that can
occur when entering an unfamiliar environment. New employees take time to learn the ropes.
They should ask questions to help them become familiar with company policies. Furthermore,
new employees must immerse themselves wholeheartedly in the environment as this exposure
will promote learning and benefit their adjustment. Moreover, new employees should change
their behaviour and thought processes to reflect their new situation.
Third, adjust to peers or colleagues is the personal ability to work independently among
staff in the workplace (Andrews and Roy, 1986; Ashford and Black, 1996; Fraser, 1996;
Raghuram et al., 2001). This is considered a basic need for people to maintain social stability.
Employees come from disparate backgrounds and work with diverse groups of colleagues
with different knowledge, skills, attitudes, values and interests. These differences can be a
source of conflict, and adjustment to new work practices is very important to maintain a
positive relationship with colleagues. When newcomers start work, they feel nervous,
anxious or even excited with colleagues, which lead to slow down work processes and
discourage showing good citizenship behaviour. Mead et al. (2001) noted that colleagues can
help newcomers by providing knowledge, skills, attitude, experiences, emotional or practical
help; moreover, peer adjustment is also used to refer to initiative where former workers help
newcomers to meet, work, resolve or feel comfortable with environments or accomplish their
tasks. You (2011) stated that peer relationships play a very important role in
employee adjustment and motivation by supporting newcomers to be successful and
achieve their responsibilities.
 Finally, adjust to supervisor determines the employee’s ability to work with their Employee
supervisor by asking for feedback as information that will help acquaint them with their work
work (Chiaburu, 2010; Gkorezis et al., 2016; Kuo et al., 2018; Shu et al., 2018). Newcomers adjustment
should give brief background information and working goals. They have to learn which
communication system the supervisor prefers by asking questions or talking in person with scale
former employees or supervisor in order to avoid miss communication with the supervisor.
Sometimes, new employees are given suggestions by supervisors regarding how to work or
resolve problems and how to spend working life in and outside the organisation. In addition,
working without pressure from a supervisor can help newcomers to settle in. Supervisors
should allow new employees adequate time for work adjustment. They should put
themselves in the newcomers’ shoes and recognise that adjustment to a new workplace can
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be overwhelming. They want frequent update from the supervisor in the beginning or have
more detailed questions that the supervisor needs to answer. The supervisor does not bristle
when newcomers cannot work effectively, miss understand, confuse of their roles or take it
personally; the newcomers will get to know the tasks and roles as a team member after their
adjustment to supervisors.
The above details confirmed that work adjustment, environment adjustment, peer
adjustment and supervisor adjustment are elements of EWA. Thus, the following
hypothesis was formulated:
H1. EWA consists of work adjustment, environment adjustment, peer adjustment and
supervisor adjustment.

Research methodology
The research population sample consisted of 54,641 SMEs in the high-growth sector in
Thailand (The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, 2017) and was obtained by
stratified random sampling to account for employees of different SMEs prior to simple
random sampling for final selection. Sample size was determined as 20 times the number of
questions following the methodology of Lindeman et al. (1980) and Siddiqui (2013). The
questionnaire contained 18 questions and so sample size was set at 360 workers. A total of
360 employees were asked to fill out the questionnaire, and the samples were classified
based on geographical region by applying multi-stage sampling in regions of Thailand. The
sample was then divided into subgroups based on the proportion of samples in each part of
Thailand which is divided into six parts, north, north east, west, central, east and south
region of Thailand. Convenient random sampling was applied by selecting samples from
regional name lists of The Office of Small and Medium Enterprises and questionnaires were
sent by letter. Out of the 360 sent, 215 were returned but only 200 were deemed valid; thus,
the effective response rate was 55.55 per cent.
We validated the EWA questionnaire using EFA and CFA. Sample size was
determined following Costello and Osborne (2005), Hayes (2008) and Osborne et al. (2014),
who suggested a sample size of ten times the number of questions. The questionnaire
contained 18 questions and the sample size consisted of 200 employees in SMEs in the
high-growth sector.
Table I presents the construct definition of instruments and related references. To ensure
content validity, all items were adapted from previous concepts, theories and research and
then modified for use in this study context. A five-point Likert scale was used to collect self-
assessment data with the following options: (1) strongly disagree; (2) disagree; (3) indifferent;
(4) agree; and (5) strongly agree which is consistent with Bayraktar et al. (2008), Miller et al.
(2009) and Na-Nan, Chaiprasit and Pukkeeree (2018), who proposed the use of a
measurement scale for self-assessment questions.
 IJQRM Constructs Definition References

Work adjustment The personal ability of newcomers to Arkoff (1968), Black and Gregersen
execute tasks they are given and take (1991), Dawis and Lofquist (1984),
responsibility for problems experienced Dawis et al. (1964), Na-Nan (2013),
during their initial working period Na-Nan and Pukkeeree (2013)
Environment adjustment The personal ability to accept or adapt to
Ashforth et al. (1998), Black and
company structure, communication Gregersen (1991), Cooper-Thomas et al.
systems, commands and decentralisation (2011), Shimoni et al. (2005), Na-Nan
that newcomers face in their work (2013), Na-Nan and Pukkeeree (2013)
Peer adjustment The personal ability to work Fraser (1996), Raghuram et al. (2001),
independently among colleagues in Na-Nan (2013), Na-Nan and Pukkeeree
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the workplace (2013), Na-Nan, Joungtrakul and

Dhienhirun (2018)
Supervisor adjustment The employee’s ability to work with Chiaburu (2010), Gkorezis et al. (2016),
Table I. their supervisor by asking for feedback Kuo et al. (2018), Shu et al. (2018)
Formal definitions of as information that will help acquaint
the constructs them with their work

The questionnaire was reviewed by a panel of five qualified experts in organisational

behaviour, human resource development, human resource management, organisational
development and behavioural science research to satisfy content validity requirements and
determine each question’s index of item-objective congruence (IOC) at W 0.6–1.0. According
to Rovinelli and Hambleton (1976), an IOC value greater than 0.05 is regarded as statistically
significant (Table II).
The questionnaire was verified for internal consistency reliability using Cronbach’s α
with results shown in Table III. One very important specification is that measurements
must be free of error for consistent results. Reliability refers to the internal consistency of
a measurement scale which assesses the degree of items as homogeneous. Only variables

Question Notation Description

1 EWA 1 I understand well the ways and methods of working

2 EWA 2 I do not feel tired doing the work that I am assigned
3 EWA 3 I was frustrated when I failed
4 EWA 4 I can resolve problems at work by myself
5 EWA 5 When I do not know how to resolve problems I will find the knowledge source to
solve them
6 EWA 6 I follow company rules and regulations
7 EWA 7 Company structure makes my career path easy
8 EWA 8 The workplace is conducive for my responsibilities
9 EWA 9 The company has the tools and technology to help me work effectively
10 EWA 10 The company provides a place for employees to relax that makes for a
stress-free workplace
11 EWA 11 I am happy working with my colleagues
12 EWA 12 My colleagues pay attention and help me
13 EWA 13 I feel warm and relaxed when I work with colleagues
14 EWA 14 My colleagues give me suggestions and advice for working
Table II. 15 EWA 15 I do not feel stress or pressure when working with supervisors
Employee work 16 EWA 16 Supervisors pay attention and help me
adjustment 17 EWA 17 I feel warm and relaxed when working with supervisors
questionnaire 18 EWA 18 Supervisors give me suggestions and advice for working
 Questionnaire Number of Item total
Employee
Factor Variables number items correlation Cronbach’s α work
adjustment
EWA 18 0.896
Work adjustment 5 0.863 scale
EWA 1 0.728
EWA 2 0.735
EWA 3 0.759
EWA 4 0.667
EWA 5 0.525
Environment adjustment 5 0.772
EWA 6 0.556
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EWA 7 0.617
EWA 8 0.536
EWA 9 0.548
EWA 10 0.465
Peer adjustment 4 0.751
EWA 11 0.408
EWA 12 0.646
EWA 13 0.662
EWA 14 0.489
Supervisor adjustment 4 0.830
EWA 15 0.574
EWA 16 0.683 Table III.
EWA 17 0.702 Cronbach’s
EWA 18 0.674 α constructs

with stable and constant responses to a repeated set of tests can be accepted as reliable
(Cronbach, 1951). Testing for item unidimensionality is assumed to be a main aspect of
reliability which may otherwise face major underestimation. Cronbach’s α was used to
assess the questionnaire to determine questions which were not valid and would impact
on data accuracy (Miller, 1995). Cronbach’s α reliability coefficient results showed overall
EWA as 0.896 for internal consistency. Each variable of EWA namely work, environment,
peer and supervisor adjustment recorded coefficients as 0.863, 0.772, 0.751 and 0.830,
respectively. A Cronbach’s α coefficient ranging between 0.5 and 1 can be regarded as
acceptable to good. If the Cronbach’s α coefficient is close to 1.0, this indicates that internal
consistency of the items in the scale is excellent (George, 2011). Rules of thumb are
provided for Cronbach’s α values as follows: W 0.9 – excellent, W 0.8 – good, W
0.7 – acceptable, W 0.6 – questionable, W 0.5 – poor and o 0.5 – unacceptable
(Bonett and Wright, 2015; Ferry, 1980; Santos, 1999; Tavakol and Dennick, 2011).

Data analysis and discussion

Among the 200 respondents shown in Tables IV, 55.50 per cent were male and the
remainder (45.50 per cent) were female. More than half (61.00 per cent) were between 21 and
25 years old, followed by more than 25 (26.50 per cent) and 12.50 per cent below 20 years old.
Over three-quarters (85.50 per cent) had a bachelor or higher degree and 14.50 per cent had
an undergraduate degree. A total of 49.00 per cent of employees of high-growth sector SMEs
had more than 3–6 months of experienced, 48.00 per cent had 6–9 months experience and
2.50 per cent had between 0 and 3 months experience. For business field, 29.00 per cent were
in food and beverage followed by agriculture (24 per cent) and electronic parts at
21.50 per cent.
Table II lists the 18 questions in the EWA questionnaire. Prior to EFA, we verified
relationships among the questions. Table V depicts an inter-correlation matrix between the
 IJQRM Variable Frequency %

Gender
Male 110 55.00
Female 90 45.00
Age (years)
o 20 25 12.50
21–25 122 61.00
W 25 53 26.50
Education
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Undergraduate 29 14.50
Graduate or higher 171 85.50
Experience (months)
3–6 98 49.00
6–9 96 48.00
0–3 25 2.50
9–12 1 0.50
Business field
Electronic parts 46 23.00
Automotive and parts 43 21.50
Food and beverage 58 29.00
Table IV. Agriculture 49 24.50
Biographical profile Others 4 2.00
of respondents n 200

Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy 0.845

Table V. Bartlett’s test of sphericity Approximate χ2 1,703.898
KMO and df 153
Bartlett’s tests Significance 0.000

18 questions in the EWA questionnaire. Correlations for 153 pairs of questions ranged
between 0.083 and 0.779. Significant positive relationships were recorded among 148 pairs
with 141 pairs significant at the 0.01 level and 7 pairs significant at the 0.05 level. There was
no significant correlation at the 0.05 level for 5 pairs of questions.
Data were subjected to many iterative cycles of EFA. For each iteration, we investigated
the anti-image correlation. Items with the least anti-image correlation were discarded and
the process was repeated with the remaining items. Each iteration was examined using
Bartlett’s sphericity test and the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling
adequacy. Our goal was to improve the KMO measure to at least 0.5. Leech et al. (2013), Hair
et al. (2006) and Tabachnick and Fidell (2007) noted that the critical value should exceed 0.50
and factor analysis could not be conducted under this critical value.
We used the principal component analysis method of factor extraction. For rotation, we
used the varimax method with Kaiser normalisation. The factor correlation matrix indicated
that inter-factor correlations were insignificant; hence, the varimax method was used
for rotation.
Table V shows results of KMO conformity for the 18 questions as 0.845. Consistent with
Hair et al. (2006), the KMO value compared to the critical value was between 0.8 and 1,
indicating very high range and adequate to conduct EFA. Bartlett’s test of sphericity
showed significance level at 0.000 which was very significant. Watkins (2018) noted that the
 significance level of p-value should be less than 0.05, indicating sufficient correlations Employee
among the variables. work
Table VI presents the EFA results of the EWA questionnaire with the questions adjustment
categorised into four EWA dimensions (latent factors) such as work, supervisor, environment
and peer adjustment. The work adjustment dimension of EWA (Factor I) encompassed scale
Questions 1–5 with factor weights of 0.705–0.740. The supervisor adjustment dimension
(Factor II) included Questions 15–18 with factor weights of 0.701–0.800. The environment
adjustment dimension of EWA (Factor III) encompassed Questions 6–10 with factor weights
of 0.619–0.709, while Questions 11–14 constituted the peer adjustment dimension (Factor IV)
of EWA with factor weights of 0.613–0.645. Eigenvalues of work adjustment, supervisor
adjustment, environment adjustment and peer adjustment variables were 7.698, 1.859, 1.387
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and 1.250, respectively, with accumulated percentage of variance at 37.340.

First- and second-order CFA were sequentially carried out on the 18 questionnaire questions
and the four latent factors (work, supervisor, environment and peer adjustment dimensions).
Table VII shows the first- and second-order CFA results of the EWA questionnaire and latent
factors. For work adjustment dimension (Factor I), Questions 1–5 exhibited factor loadings of
0.570–0.891 with R2 of 0.325–0.794. For supervisor adjustment dimension (Factor II), Questions
15–18 exhibited factor loadings of 0.479–0.891 with R2 of 0.230–0.795. Questions 6–10
constituting environment adjustment dimension (Factor III) gave factor loadings of 0.641–0.766
with R2 of 0.217–0.581. Finally, Questions 11–14 constituting peer adjustment dimension (Factor
IV) had factor loadings of 0.566–0.814 with R2 of 0.158–0.663. Tayraukham (2010) explained that
low R2 values in CFA can be found in cases where the question or variable is not covered in the
research scope. Meanwhile, Stone et al. (2013) noted that in some research fields, it can be
expected that some R2 values will be low. Fields that attempt to predict human behaviour or
psychology are more difficult to predict than physical processes and typically have R2 values
lower than 0.5. The low R2 values found for some of the questions in this research are therefore
not necessarily problematic, for example, EWA 11, EWA 15 and EWA 10.

Factor weight
Question Common factor I II III IV

EWA 1 0.681 0.740

EWA 2 0.703 0.705
EWA 3 0.715 0.721
EWA 4 0.619 0.730
EWA 5 0.638 0.725
EWA 6 0.612 0.639
EWA 7 0.639 0.681
EWA 8 0.512 0.623
EWA 9 0.589 0.709
EWA 10 0.654 0.619
EWA 11 0.501 0.613
EWA 12 0.637 0.645
EWA 13 0.570 0.616
EWA 14 0.500 0.618
EWA 15 0.597 0.701
EWA 16 0.662 0.764
EWA 17 0.713 0.800
EWA 18 0.676 0.772
Initial eigenvalues 7.698 1.859 1.387 1.250
% of variance 37.340 10.331 7.707 6.946 Table VI.
Note: Extraction method was principal factor analysis and rotation method was Varimax with Kaiser EFA results of the
normalisation EWA questionnaire
 IJQRM Main indicator (latent factors) Question Factor loading R2

Work adjustment EWA 1 0.708*** 0.502

b ¼ 0.881*** EWA 2 0.774*** 0.599
R2 ¼ 0.776 EWA 3 0.891*** 0.794
EWA 4 0.722*** 0.521
EWA 5 0.570*** 0.325
Supervisor adjustment EWA 15 0.479*** 0.230
b ¼ 0.565*** EWA 16 0.692*** 0.478
R2 ¼ 0.319 EWA 17 0.891*** 0.795
EWA 18 0.758*** 0.574
Environment adjustment EWA 6 0.724*** 0.524
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b ¼ 0.725*** EWA 7 0.762*** 0.581

R2 ¼ 0.525 EWA 8 0.641*** 0.411
EWA 9 0.647*** 0.418
EWA 10 0.776*** 0.271
Peer adjustment EWA 11 0.720*** 0.158
b ¼ 0.715*** EWA 12 0.814*** 0.663
R2 ¼ 0.511 EWA 13 0.806*** 0.649
Table VII. EWA 14 0.566*** 0.321
Results of first- and
second-order CFA χ2 ¼ 115.015, df ¼ 103, p ¼ 0.197, GIF ¼ 0.942, AGIF ¼ 0.904
of the RMSEA ¼ 0.024, RMR ¼ 0.017
EWA questionnaire Notes: b is the factor weight; R2 indicates accuracy. ***Indicates the 0.001 significance level

In addition, χ2 ¼ 115.015, df ¼ 103, p ¼ 0.197, GIF ¼ 0.942, AGIF ¼ 0.904, RMSEA ¼ 0.024 and
root mean square residue (RMR) ¼ 0.017. These results were consistent with Byrne (2016) and
Wiratchai (1995), who stated that both the Goodness of Fit Index and the adjusted Goodness
of Fit Index should be close to 1 and the RMR should not exceed .02. Figure 1 illustrates the
structural model of EWA. Furthermore, the finding also showed that work adjustment,
supervisor adjustment, environment adjustment and peer adjustment were elements of EWA,
confirming research hypothesis.
Table VIII tabulates the construct validity of the first- and second-order CFA results.
Factor loadings associated with the first-order CFA ranged from 0.479 to 0.891 at 0.1
per cent (0.001) significance level. According to Kim and Mueller (1978), a factor loading
greater than 0.3 is statistically significant. By comparison, composite reliability (CR) of the
first-order CFA construct validity of work adjustment dimension was largest (0.856)
followed by environment adjustment (0.836), peer adjustment (0.820) and supervisor
adjustment (0.805). Corresponding average variance extracted (AVE) values ranged from
0.507 to 0.584 with AVE above 0.5 as statistically significant (Piriyakun, 2010). Factor
loadings associated with the second-order CFA ranged from 0.565 to 0.881 at 0.1 per cent
(0.001) significance level. The CR and AVE of the second-order CFA construct validity were
0.816 and 0.533, respectively. According to Piriyakun (2010), an AVE value above 0.5 is
regarded as statistically significant.
Analysis results verified that the 18 questions were suitable to evaluate EWA. Questions
1–18 constituted the four EWA dimensions (latent factors) such as work, supervisor,
environment and peer adjustment.

Conclusions
This empirical research proposed an EWA questionnaire that encompassed work,
supervisor, environment and peer adjustment dimensions. The questionnaire was validated
 EWA 1
Employee
work
adjustment

08
0.776 EWA 2

0 .7
0.7
7 4 scale
Work
0.891 EWA 3
Adjustment
0.7
22

0.5
EWA 4

70
EWA 5
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EWA 15
81
0.8

0.319

9
47
EWA 16

0.
92
Supervisor 0.6
Adjustment 0.89
1
0.
EWA 17
75
8
65
0.5

Employee EWA 18
Work
Adjustment
EWA 6

0.7
25
24

0.525 EWA 7
0.7

6 2
0.7
Environment 0.641
Adjustment EWA 8
0.6
47
0.7
0.7

EWA 9
76
15

EWA 10

EWA 11

0.551
20
0.7

EWA 12
4
Peer 0.81
Adjustment 0.80
6
EWA 13
0.
56
6

EWA 14
Figure 1.
EWA structural model
Notes: 2 =115.015, p = 0.197, GIF = 0.942, AGIF = 0.904, RMSEA = 0.024, RMR = 0.017

using EFA and CFA for a sample of 200 new employees of SMEs. Factor analysis results
confirmed the validity of the 18 questions as a reliable performance evaluation tool for
human resource management departments, companies and researchers with CR and AVE of
0.565 and 0.881, respectively. Importantly, factor analysis results suggested that the EWA
questionnaire could be applied as is, or with minimal modifications, to various business
fields and/or settings.
 IJQRM 1st-order CFA construct 2nd-order CFA
Observable variable validity construct validity
Latent factors/questions Factor loading CR AVE Factor loading CR AVE

EWA 0.816 0.533

Work adjustment dimension 0.856 0.584 0.881
EWA 1 0.708
EWA 2 0.774
EWA 3 0.891
EWA 4 0.722
EWA 5 0.570
Supervisor adjustment dimension 0.805 0.519 0.565
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EWA 15 0.479
EWA 16 0.692
EWA 17 0.891
EWA 18 0.758
Environment adjustment dimension 0.836 0.507 0.725
EWA 6 0.724
EWA 7 0.762
EWA 8 0.641
EWA 9 0.647
EWA 10 0.776
Peer adjustment dimension 0.820 0.537 0.715
Table VIII. EWA 11 0.720
Construct validity of EWA 12 0.814
first- and second-order EWA 13 0.806
CFA results EWA 14 0.566

Furthermore, testing results were more meaningful and relevant with the inclusion of all
four EWA dimensions. Future research on EWA could readily adopt these 18 questions for
data collection because of their high content and construct validity.

Theoretical implications
Our research results contributed to existing EWA ideas, theories and literature by
developing and validating a questionnaire that described all dimensions of EWAs required
in small- and medium-sized companies. Furthermore, results concur with previous studies
detailing work, supervisor, environment and peer adjustment dimensions of EWA. Our
findings can assist researchers and academics to expand knowledge of EWA to further
develop behavioural techniques for new employees regarding aspects of work, supervisor,
environment and peer.
The results of this research, along with earlier concepts and theories of EWA, indicate
that researchers and academics can use the instrument proposed here to provide guidelines
and achieve an integrated EWA process for improved management and development of
human resources. In addition, the 18 questions can be utilised for further studies on EWA to
evaluate the presence of enablers and understanding of how to unleash employee potentials.
Our results offer a step towards an intensive sophisticated understanding of processes
which can enhance and generate EWA.

Practical implications
Practitioners and human resource management departments can use these 18 questions as a
measurement tool for the effective management of EWA. In addition, our validation
processes have other important implications for investigating behaviour as work,
supervisor, environment and peer adjustment dimensions which together shape the concept
 of EWA. The instrument recorded strongly significant statistics for all four dimensions. Employee
Practitioners and managers can use our results to implement measures to investigate or work
improve employee behaviour concerning work adjustment. adjustment
scale
Limitations and future research
Certain limitations are acknowledged. The EWA questionnaire may be affected by individual
bias of participants and researchers throughout data collection and reporting. Researchers
identified bias concern in designing the conceptual approach; moreover, instruments were
examined in a Thai SME context which cannot be applied to all cultural situations. Aguinis
et al. (2001) and Na-Nan, Chaiprasit and Pukkeeree (2018) stated that researchers should
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recognise that politics, culture, economics, technology and language might also affect
questionnaire validation. Thus, whether any variations occur in other cross-cultural or context
settings should also be investigated. Comparative research among employees in other
business fields or sectors is also suggested to confirm our EWA questionnaire results.
Future research may examine both automation implementation and the changing nature of
work force factors in addition to the four factors found in this study. The business world
continues to produce new use-cases for automation implementation, combining a wide variety
of advanced technologies to give machines the ability to learn, adapt, make decisions and
display new behaviours (Sanders and Gegov, 2013). The abilities of automation technologies
can therefore play a significant role in enhancing and augmenting human capability to make
daily work easier by removing the tedium of repetitive jobs and accelerating our efforts.
Automation implementation will make the world more convenient and comfortable. However,
some tasks or jobs will be replaced by robots or technology, so automation implementation will
have significant impacts on the nature of the workforce (Content, 2018). Roe (2018) argued that
automation implementation will be a positive addition to the workplace and remain a positive
influence for the medium and long term. Furthermore, the nature of work has already gone
through dramatic transformations in the past several decades due to developing information
technology, globalisation forces and demographic changes such as increasingly multi-cultural
work environments and an ageing workforce (Barley et al., 2017). Some organisations and
workers will be more advantaged than others as a result of this phenomenon. New
technologies can help organisation stay more in touch with their customers and markets.
Concurrently, skilled workers will be employed to manage the new technology. Conversely,
unskilled workers may be replaced by new technologies due to high employment costs and
ongoing training and development expenses. Meanwhile, workers may have less contact with
colleagues and affect their interpersonal communication skills. Both automation
implementation and the changing nature of work are huge challenges for employees, and
they will have to adjust themselves to fit the new work environment. These challenges will be
of increasing concern to organizations, managers and human resource departments so that
they can assist, support and develop their employees to adapt to new workplace technologies
and challenges. Future studies could explore two factors to develop a way to assess how
employees can adjust, as well as how to develop a way to measure how employees adapt in
different industries and countries.

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Corresponding author
Khahan Na-Nan can be contacted at: khahan_n@rmutt.ac.th

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