Cultural Assessment Tools and How They Compare
The Spectra Assessment may be used alone or in conjunction with other diversity and inclusion or cultural assessments such as the IDI. The benefit of the ‘dual’ assessment is that diversity and inclusion professionals can see the bigger picture in terms of where the organization is on key D&I measures.
Get the Full Picture – Only with Spectra
The Spectra Assessment enables D&I consultants and other professionals to evaluate both the ‘outer ring’ (Management, Culture as well as the Policies, Practices and Procedures (3Ps) in addition to the ‘inner ring’ of Individual Beliefs and Interpersonal Skills.
Only by looking at both the inner and outer rings is it possible to see the entire D&I picture and understand what strategies may have the greatest impact.
How do well-known cultural assessment tools compare to Spectra?
Below is an abbreviated list of a few well-known cultural assessment tools and how they compare to the Spectra Assessment.
Only the Spectra Assessment checks all the boxes.
 |
Spectra Assessment |
Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) |
Cultural Quotient |
Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) |
Cultural Values Assessment (CVA) |
Catalyst Inclusion Accelerator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measures the Individual | ||||||
| Measures the Organization | ||||||
| Statistically Validated | ||||||
| Individual Level Report | ||||||
| Group/team Report | ||||||
| Custom sub-categories for data | ||||||
| Custom open-ended questions | ||||||
| Train-the-Trainer Facilitation Kit Option | ||||||
| No minimum or maximum # of participants | No max / 750 min |
Using the Spectra Assessment with with other Tools
Catalyst Inclusion Accelerator and the Cultural Values Assessment (CVA)
- The Catalyst Inclusion Accelerator and the Cultural Values Assessment (CVA) are cultural assessment tools that measure teams and the organization, but do not measure the individual.
- You can use the Spectra Assessment to capture an individual assessment because it measures both individuals and organizations.
Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI®), Cultural Quotient (Cultural Intelligence) and the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES)
- The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI®), Cultural Quotient (Cultural Intelligence) and the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) all measure the individual but do not measure the organization. Their “organization” reports are simply roll-ups of all the individual data.
- Use the Spectra Assessment with these assessments to get a better picture of the organization overall.
Get More Flexibility with the Spectra Assessment
As you can see, the Spectra Diversity and Inclusion Assessment stands out by measuring both individual and organizational levels, providing comprehensive, statistically validated data. Unlike other assessments, it offers customizable features such as sub-categories and open-ended questions, and a Train-the-Trainer Facilitation Kit. Additionally, it has no participant limits, making it adaptable for any group size.
This breadth and flexibility make it unique compared to other DEI assessments, which may focus only on individual or cultural aspects and have participant constraints.
Case Study: Using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI®) with the Spectra Assessment
The IDI is a robust and well-developed self-assessment tool, but does not include everything the Spectra Assessment includes. When one of Spectra’s approved D&I consultants was asked to use the IDI, they were able to gather more data by adding the Spectra Assessment to the mix.
A small organization requested one of our Change Partners to implement a diversity and inclusion program. She started by administering a Spectra Assessment organization wide. The Enhanced Data Analysis found that there were issues related to the diversity and inclusion perceptions of Black/African American employees and Management behavior.
She then administered the IDI with the organization’s managers/executives and followed it with special coaching. Finally, Individual Reports were rolled out in advance of D&I training sessions for all employees.
Using the Spectra Assessment to uncover racial/ethnic issues and first coaching key stakeholders helped to ensure a successful organization-wide training initiative. The organization also made needed changes in several of its Policies, Practices and Procedures.
More Spectra Diversity Assessment Case Studies
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