An examination of the general decision making style questionnaire in two UK samples

Purpose To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the general decision making style (GDMS) questionnaire in two UK samples. Design/methodology/approach – The GDMS takes the form of a self‐report questionnaire which identifies five decision making styles: rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant, and spontaneous. It was administered to samples of business studies undergraduates in two UK business schools. Analyses included scale reliabilities, test‐re‐test reliability, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Findings – The instrument's internal and temporal consistencies were generally sound. Consistent with earlier studies, analyses undertaken on the two samples independently were generally supportive of a five factor model of decision making style. No relationships with gender or year of study were observed. Research limitations/implications – Whilst generally supportive of the GDMS, results suggest that further validation work is required. This could include consideration of the relationships between the GDMS and other measures of cognitive/personality style. Practical implications – The managerial implications of the strengths of and relationships between the different decision making styles observed are discussed. Originality/value – The paper fulfils a stated requirement for further validation study of the GDMS instrument.