Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Makes a Difference
To be effective in reaching out to diverse cultural groups, leaders should begin with a solid understanding of their own cultural orientations. SaskCulture connected with leaders of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) method to learn how to help generate personal cultural competency assessments that can be used by individuals and organizations to guide conversations and future training.
The Intercultural Development Inventory, or IDI, is a measure of an individuals’ competence or ability to comprehend and deal with cultural differences. The Inventory is made up of a 50-question assessment that generally takes about 30 minutes for an individual to complete. The results are tabulated and shared with individuals privately so they can make their own personal intercultural learning plans.
“It was an eye-opener to see where we fell on the continuum, and opened the door to many interesting conversations on how we could build our understanding even further. All SaskCulture board members also completed the IDI,” she adds.
According to the IDI, LLC, the company which created the inventory, the more experience an individual has with working across cultures, the more likely they will successfully work with people from various cultural backgrounds and avoid frustrations and misunderstandings.
SaskCulture consultants are licensed to present and provide assessments on the Intercultural Development Inventory and continue to encourage members of the cultural community to make the assessments part of their diversity planning.