IDI General Information: The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®)

The Intercultural Development Inventory® (IDI®) assesses intercultural competence—the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities. Intercultural competence has been identified as a critical capability in a number of studies focusing on overseas effectiveness of international sojourners, international business adaptation and job performance, international student adjustment, international transfer of technology and information, international study abroad, and inter-ethnic relations within nations.

The Intercultural Development Inventory is a 50-item questionnaire available online that can be completed in 15–20 minutes. A wide range of organizations and educational institutions use the IDI (click here to view a number of organizations using the IDI). Thousands of Qualified Administrators in more than 30 countries have extensively applied the IDI in corporate, non-profit, government, faith-based, and educational contexts. In addition, more than 60 published articles and book chapters as well as over 66 Ph.D. dissertations have been completed using the IDI.

An Education and Organization Version

The IDI is available in two different versions: one for use in educational institutions and the other in all other organizational settings. Each version is customized with different demographics questions as well as customized analysis of individual and group profile results.

Available in Multiple Languages

The IDI is available in multiple languages, with each being rigorously “back translated” to ensure both linguistic and conceptual equivalence in the meaning of each of the items. You can view the full list of available languages here: Available Languages of IDI Assessment and IDI Reports.

Generates Customized Profile Reports

The IDI generates profiles of an individual’s intercultural competence (click here for a sample individual profile report). When used to assess an individual’s level of intercultural competence, a customized Intercultural Development Plan® (IDP®) is also prepared for the person. This IDP provides a detailed blueprint for the individual to further develop his/her intercultural competence (click here for a sample IDP report).

The IDI also generates group, subgroup, and organizational intercultural competence profiles (click here for a sample group profile report). When used to assess a group’s intercultural competence, interviews or focus groups can be conducted to identify cross-cultural goals and challenges, providing valuable information regarding how the group’s IDI profile translates into interculturally competent strategies across diverse groups.

A Valid Assessment Tool

The Intercultural Development Inventory has been psychometrically tested and found to possess strong validity and reliability across diverse cultural groups (click here for IDI validity overview results). This validity includes predictive validity within both the corporate and educational sectors. The IDI has been rigorously tested and has cross-cultural generalizability, both internationally and with domestic diversity.

Psychometric scale construction protocols were followed to ensure that the IDI is not culturally biased or susceptible to social desirability effects (i.e., individuals cannot “figure out” how to answer in order to gain a higher score).

The IDI possesses strong content and construct validity. Recent studies also indicate strong predictive validity of the IDI (click here for M.R. Hammer 2011 published IDI validation study results). In one study within the corporate sector, higher levels of intercultural competence, as measured by the IDI, were strongly predictive of successful recruitment and staffing of diverse talent in organizations. In another study, higher IDI scores among students were predictive of important study abroad outcomes, including greater knowledge of the host culture, less intercultural anxiety when interacting with culturally diverse individuals, increased intercultural friendships, and higher satisfaction with one’s study abroad experience.

The IDI is the assessment platform from which IDI Guided Development® is undertaken to build intercultural competence based.