This document provides an overview of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) which is a tool used to assess intercultural competence. It discusses how the IDI can provide insights into one's orientation toward cultural differences and commonalities. It also describes the Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) which is used to classify orientations along a spectrum from more monocultural to intercultural mindsets. The document emphasizes that developing intercultural competence involves deep cultural self-awareness and understanding other cultural perspectives.

1. Intercultural Development
Inventory
Teresa Maria Taylor, Ed.D.
Director of Culturally Responsive Teaching
© Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

2. Overview of Session
 This introductory session is an
overview of the Intercultural
Development Inventory (IDI).
 This session is important for
you to understand what the
IDI is, and why it is important
to you in your role as a leader.
 You will complete your online
IDI after tonight’s class; it is
due before the next class
session.

3. Important Information
 Other than myself, the IDI
Licensed Qualified
Administrator, your responses
are completely confidential.
 Your information will NOT be
shared with anyone else at
SMUMN.
 Your information is to be used
for your professional self-
development.

4. Intercultural Development
Introduction
 Success in the 21st
Century demands the
development of
intercultural competence.
 Intercultural competence
spans both internationally
and domestically.
 It is essential for all types
of leadership roles, and is
an integral component in
educational contexts.

5. Intercultural Development
Inventory (IDI) Overview
 Your IDI individual profile
report provides valuable
information about your own
orientation toward cultural
differences & commonalities.
 The results of your IDI will be
very helpful in identifying
strategies for effectively
bridging across these cultural
differences & commonalities.

6. Intercultural Development
Continuum (IDC) Overview
 The Intercultural Development
Continuum (IDC) describes a
set of orientations toward
cultural differences &
commonalities arrayed along a
continuum from the more
monocultural mindsets of
Denial & Polarization, through
the transitional orientation of
Minimization, to the
intercultural (global mindsets)
of Acceptance & Adaptation.

7. The Intercultural Development
Continuum (IDC)
Reproduced from the Intercultural Development Inventory Resource Guide by permission of the author, Mitchell R.
Hammer, Ph.D., IDI, LLC, Copyright 1998, 2003, 2007, 2012 Mitchell R. Hammer, IDI, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

8. Intercultural Competence is
“The How”
 It is the capability to shift cultural
perspective & adapt or bridge behavior to
cultural commonality & difference:
 Involves deep cultural self-awareness.
 Entails deep understanding of the experiences
of people from different cultural communities.

9. Intercultural Competence
Development Focuses on:
 Eliminating interpretations & behavior
based on stereotypes:
 Evaluative overgeneralizations, personal traits
assigned to group.
 Stereotypes support less complex perceptions
& experiences of cultural commonalities &
differences.

10. Intercultural Competence
Development Focuses on:
 Increasing interpretations & behavior
based on cultural
generalizations/frameworks:
 Neutral, relative descriptions of a group’s
preferences.
 Cultural generalizations support more
complex perceptions & experience of cultural
commonalities & differences.

11. Unlike Other Approaches
 The IDI assesses intercultural competence
along the Intercultural Development
Continuum (IDC).
 This assessment tool & model is:
 Holistic – it assesses mind/action sets; not
individual personality, knowledge, attitude or skill
dimensions. Developmental - not typological.
 Inter-culturally grounded – explains how
individuals and/or group experience cultural
differences & commonalities.

12. Next Steps
 Using the username and
password that you were
assigned, log into the IDI
website & complete your
online IDI profile.
 Allow for 20-30 minutes of
“uninterrupted” time.
 For accurate results, respond
to each of the statements
openly & honestly.

13. Then What?
 You will receive a copy of
your IDI individual profile & a
copy of your professional
self-development plan.
 In our week 5 class session,
we will review the group
profile of our combined IDIs.
 In tandem, during this
session, you will learn about
your individual profile results.

14. References
 Mitchell, R. H. (2012).
Intercultural development
inventory resource guide.
www.idiinventory.com