“As NC State continues to engage internationally, everyone in our community needs the awareness, the skills, and the experiences that enable us to effectively interact and work with anyone, anywhere. This is essential if we are to ‘Think and Do the Extraordinary.’”
— Randy Woodson, Chancellor, NC State University
Shortly after Chancellor Woodson expressed this sentiment, seven NC State employees were trained during a three-day virtual experience as qualified administrators (QA) of the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) in preparation for NC State’s inaugural fall pilot initiative.
The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is a psychometric instrument that assesses intercultural competence — the capability to shift cultural perspective and appropriately adapt behavior to cultural differences and commonalities. This 50-item questionnaire is available in 17 languages, can be accessed online and takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. After taking the assessment, the IDI generates 1) an Individual Profile Report that outlines the individual’s capacity to shift perspectives and appropriately adapt behaviors, and 2) an Individual Development Plan (IDP) – a detailed blueprint for the individual to further develop their cultural competence.
Teams may use the IDI for one or more of the following reasons:
- to measure the development of intercultural competence in a group over time;
- to use as a tool to develop, train and/or mentor faculty, staff or students;
- to solidify a unit’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and objectives; and
- to use as an instructional tool in the classroom.
How to Apply
The application process requires a letter of support from the highest-ranking employee in the unit to which the team reports and a narrative statement that addresses the goals, objectives, challenges, opportunities, historical and current activities in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion.
The application period is Sep. 7–30, 2020, with anticipated notification of acceptance into the pilot program by Oct. 20, 2020. If selected, each member of the leadership team will pay $25 for the cost of the IDI instrument. Each selected leadership team will engage with IDI programming between mid-October 2020 and late April 2021. During this time, each unit will complete a pre-assessment, the Intercultural Development Inventory; receive a group composite debrief and orientation; receive individual debriefs (by request); be provided with an Intercultural Development Plan for the leadership team, complete a post-assessment; and participate in an end-of-year closure experience providing space for the pilot participants to share feedback from a leadership perspective with the IDI Champion Team.
The IDI Champion Team members are:
- Stephanie Helms Pickett, Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity
- Melvin (Jai) Jackson, College of Education
- Nikki Price, College of Sciences
- Maria Almanza, Office of Faculty Affairs
- Monica Banks, Office of Faculty Affairs
- Kathy Woodford, Employee Relations
- Stephanie Davis, Learning and Organizational Development
Apply for the IDI Pilot Experience
For More Information
- Watch our video.
- See The Roadmap to Intercultural Competence Using the IDI: General Information.
- For additional information on the group utility of the IDI within higher education, see Case Study: Developing Intercultural Competence within Higher Education.
- See also Director of Graduate Student Success Melvin “Jai” Jackson to Serve on NC State’s Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) Champion Team, Earns Certification (College of Education News).
Stephanie Helms Pickett, Ed.D, is associate vice provost for inclusive excellence and strategic practice in the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.