Intercultural
Development Inventory (IDI)
Description of the Version 3 Instrument
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This page provides deeper background about the history, structure, design, and validity of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI).
IDI measures how a person or a group of people tend
to think and feel about cultural difference stemming from any aspect of diversity, human identity, and cultural difference. IDI assesses the core mindset regarding diversity and cultural difference.
IDI
is the basis for developing competence
leading, working in, and succeeding in an increasingly-diverse domestic and
global workplace and marketplace.
IDI version 3 was designed by Dr. Mitchell Hammer. IDI version 3 is based on Dr. Hammer's Intercultural Development Continuum, which is an advanced adaptation of Dr. Milton Bennett’s
earlier Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. IDI
is a statistically valid and reliable psychometric instrument.
Some salient characteristics of IDI follow:
- In use globally since
1998.
- Fifty items or statements, answered as the
extent to which a person agrees or disagrees with the
statement. The items are the same as in IDI version 2.
- Available
in many different languages.
- Available
in paper and online form.
- Expanded in-depth customized reports tailored to either educational or organizational applications.
IDI is unique in several aspects. It
measures how a person feels and thinks about, and thus
reacts to, diversity and cultural difference. It
is, therefore, measuring how a person construes and organizes
events, guided and limited by their cultural patterns.
This is called one’s orientation or mindset regarding
diversity and cultural difference.
IDI is a theory-based instrument; it is not an opinion survey. The following table highlights some of the differences:
| Aspect |
Theory-Based Instrument |
Opinion Survey |
| Example |
- Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)
|
- Public opinion polls
- Training evaluations
|
| Basis |
- Comparison of individual or group performance to theory-based model
|
- Participant's opinions about the topic
|
| Basis of validity |
- Statistical verification that the instrument measures the full scope of the topic (e.g. intercultural competence)
- Verified correlation between the instrument's scales and the underlying theoretical model
- Studies verifying the predictive nature of the instrument
|
- The extent to which people agree it seems to be measuring the intended topic.
- Participants' opinions assumed valid
|
| Applicability |
- Generalized across cultural groups consistent with the underlying theory
|
- Generalized to a population through adequate sampling
|
| Addressing bias |
- Through a comprehensive cross-cultural design, testing, and validation process
|
- Through neutral wording of the items and responses, and sequence of the items in the survey
|
Equally unique is what IDI does not
do. Unlike many other instruments, it does not compare
a person to typical behaviors and it does not analyze behavioral
reactions. IDI operates at the deep inner level of how a
person feels and thinks about cultural difference. This
deeper level of one’s cognitive and affective experience is what
guides and limits behavior.
IDI helps answer the
frequently-asked “so
what” question stemming from use of
other instruments, “So
now that I know more about my behavior and how I compare
to others, what should I do next?”
The
answer is guided development and learning based on IDI. This develops one’s intercultural
competence to build effectiveness communicating and working with, and understanding the needs of, colleagues and customers of different cultural backgrounds.
IDC defines five stages with successively greater
intercultural competence. IDI measures both one’s
self-perceived and actual orientation on the IDC continuum. The IDI results report is structured
to encourage developmental thinking. Typical
feedback conversations and guided development address:
- How
one’s current degree of intercultural sensitivity
and intercultural competence affects or “shows
up” in
your interactions (e.g. cross-cultural communication)
with other people.
- What actions might help further
develop one’s intercultural competence.
Importantly, IDI may be used with individuals,
groups, and entire organizations.
Our IDI
Applications page presents further details.
Both IDI and the
underlying Intercultural Development Continuum ( IDC) are culture-general
in nature. They address cross-cultural difference independent
of the type of difference. Cultural difference
stemming from national, regional, societal, family, organization,
and individual characteristics all come within the scope
of IDI.
IDI was designed and validated
in a cross-cultural manner to ensure this culture-general
validity. Research shows that developing one’s intercultural
competence emphasizing one aspect of diversity and cultural difference
(e.g. national origin) will carry over to one’s experience
of all other types of diversity and cultural difference.
The
design of the current 50-item instrument followed rigorous
scientific methods. People representing a global cultural
mix were interviewed by expert interculturalists.
From
the verbatim interview transcripts, 239 statements were
identified in which each seemed to represent a particular
stage of the developmental continuum. Pilots and cross-cultural expert
reviews were used to narrow this to a list of 145 statements
or items.
Factor and reliability analyses were combined
with correlation to other intercultural scales (the Worldmindedness Scale and the Intercultural Anxiety Scale) and validity
tests for gender, age, and education to produce the 50-item version 2 instrument.
For version 3, further factor analyses on yet-larger populations led to validation of the current Developmental Orientation (DO) and Perceived Orientation (PO) scales.
The current IDI version 3 features
a set of scales with very high levels
of statistical reliability.
Full details about the design
and validation are available in
- International Journal
of Intercultural Relations, Special Issue on Intercultural
Development,
Volume 27, Number 4, July 2003. The entire issue is dedicated
to IDI version 2, the platform for version 3.
- The Intercultural Development Inventory Manual, version 3, 2007, IDI, LLC.
MDB Group is pleased to provide complete
coaching and developmental interventions based on the IDI. Certified
IDI administrators are ready to work with you in any capacity needed. We also provide administration and interpretation services
to other consultants in support of their work with their
clients.
Please call
us; we will be happy to discuss how you may realize
the full workplace and business benefits of the Intercultural Development Inventory.
Related links
The Intercultural Development Inventory is a valuable diagnostic
and development tool in building individual and team effectiveness,
improving cross cultural communication and teamwork, conflict
management, executive coaching, and general workplace assessments. |
