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Intercultural
Development Inventory (IDI)
Description of the Instrument
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to the MDB Group Intercultural Competence Section |
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The Intercultural Development Inventory
(IDI) measures how a person or a group of people tend
to think and feel about cultural difference.
IDI
is the basis for developing competence
leading, working, and succeeding in an increasingly-diverse
global workplace and marketplace.
IDI was designed by Dr. Milton Bennett
and Dr. Mitchell Hammer. Based on Dr. Bennett’s
Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, IDI
is a scientifically 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
- Available
in many different languages
- Available
in paper and on-line form
IDI is unique in several aspects. It
measures how a person feels and thinks about, and thus
reacts to, 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 “worldview” regarding
cultural difference.
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 worldview level of how a
person feels and thinks about cultural difference. This
deeper level of one’s cognitive experience is what
guides and limits behavior.
Thus, 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 to understand and develop one’s intercultural
competence, which will generate cognitive and behavioral
change.
Both IDI and the
underlying DMIS theory-based model are culture-general
in nature. DMIS addresses 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 DMIS.
IDI was correspondingly designed and validated
in a cross-cultural manner to maintain this culture-general
validity. Research shows that developing one’s intercultural
competence emphasizing one aspect of cultural difference
(e.g. national origin) will carry over to one’s experience
of all other types of cultural difference.
IDI is developmental
in nature. DMIS defines six stages with successively greater
intercultural competence. IDI measures both one’s
self-perceived and actual place on the DMIS continuum.
The IDI results report is structured
to encourage developmental thinking. Typical
feedback conversations 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 can be used with individuals,
groups, and entire organizations.
Our IDI
Applications page presents further details.
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 DMIS model. 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 and validity
tests for gender, age, and education. This led to the current
50-item instrument and a revised scale with very high levels
of statistical reliability.
Full details about the design
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 DMIS and IDI.
MDB Group is pleased to provide certified
IDI administrators to work with you in any capacity needed. We provide complete
coaching and developmental interventions based on the IDI.
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 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. |
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IDI has coaching, leadership
development, training, and assessment applications
with individuals, teams, and entire organizations. |
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The Developmental Model of Intercultural
Sensitivity is the theoretical basis for the
IDI. |
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Building cross cultural communication
competence, or the ability to communicate with
other people, helps build team effectiveness. |
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When an executive takes on new challenges,
success frequently hinges upon building new abilities
to communicate and work with people having different
backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. |
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Diagnosing and addressing ineffective communications
is frequently at the heart of resolving workplace
conflict. |
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Workplace
assessments involve diagnosing individual,
team, or organizational intercultural sensitivity
and communications competence. These assessments
facilitate designing strategies, action plans,
development, and training matched to peoples’ current
state of development. This helps ensure a successful
business-related outcome. |
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Next steps
Please call
us so that together we can start increasing your workforce’s
productivity and innovation.
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Your business success
is our most important objective.
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