Sweet Circularity: Algorithm-based Development and Validation of a Modular Circular Work Value Scale (CWVSmod) Across Four Studies

Research on work values is affected by construct proliferation, weak theoretical integration, and sociocultural blind spots. We address these issues by grounding work values in a motivational continuum via the Circular Work Value Theory. We introduce the modular Circular Work Value Scale (CWVSmod), assessing work values at three levels of abstraction. Across four studies (N = 7,516), we develop, validate, and norm the scales.Study 1 used algorithm-based item selection to construct three scales. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated acceptable fit and measurement invariance (MI) held across age and gender. Study 2 examined cross-language validity: strict MI across countries was supported, correlations with higher-order basic values aligned with theory. Study 3 mapped the nomological network, yielding largely expected convergent/discriminant patterns with personality traits and work behaviors consistent with the circumplex structure. Study 4 provided representative German norms for one module by age, gender, and education; strict MI across demographics and time, and retest reliability, were supported. Across all four studies, the circumplex structure of conflict and compatibility was largely corroborated, with observable deviations of Hedonism-Compatibility. The CWVSmod offers theory-consistent, psychometrically robust, and comparable assessments while its modular design enables efficient screening and fine-grained diagnostics.