The multicultural personality questionnaire: a multidimensional instrument of multicultural effectiveness

Abstract

In today's global business environment, executive work is becoming more international in orientation. Several skills and traits may underlie executive success in an international environment. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire was developed as a multidimensional instrument aimed at measuring multicultural effectiveness. The questionnaire has scales for Cultural Empathy, Openmindedness, Emotional Stability, Orientation to Action, Adventurousness/Curiosity, Flexibility, and Extraversion. In a study among a student sample (N =257) the reliability and validity of the inventory were examined. The internal consistencies of the developed scales were high, with the exception of Openmindedness and Flexibility. On the basis of factor analysis and the pattern of intercorrelations four reliable higher-level dimensions were distinguished: ‘Openness’, ‘Emotional Stability’, ‘Social Initiative and Flexibility’. The correlations between these dimensions and related instruments were in the expected direction. Moreover, the data supported the predictive value of the instrument of multicultural activity and its incremental value above the Big Five in predicting international orientation and aspiration of an international career. The Multicultural Personality Questionnaire may be used as an instrument for the selection of expatriates or as a diagnostic tool for assessing further training needs. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.