Development of a supervisor position description questionnaire

Abstract

A study of the job duties of factory foremen. A Supervisor Position Description Questionnaire (SPDQ) was developed and administered to 24 factory foremen and the corresponding supervising executives. An inverse interbattery factor analysis was performed. 7 factors were obtained and titled: Manufacturing Process Supervision; Manufacturing Process Administration; Employee Supervision; Manpower Coordination and Administration; Employee Contact Communication; Work Organization, Planning, and Preparation; and Union Management Relations. A 2nd factor analysis of SPDQ scores yielded 2 factors titled: Manufacturing Operations Management and Administration, and Manpower Management and Utilization. The factors are compared to those obtained by Hemphill (1961) and to the results of leadership studies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)