Expatriate Selection: Evaluating the Discriminant, Convergent, and Predictive Validity of Five Measures of Interpersonal and Intercultural Competence

Effective screening and selection of expatriates is a critical function in organizations, yet the use of paper and pencil instruments in expatriate selection is limited by the paucity of existing validity evidence. This study assessed the discriminant, convergent, and predictive validity of two Intercultural Competence measures (the Behavioral Assessment Scale for Intercultural Communication Effectiveness and the Intercultural Sensitivity Scale) and three Interpersonal Competence measures (the Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire, the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised: Short Version, and the Self-Monitoring Scale). The Intercultural competence measures exhibited discriminant validity with the Interpersonal competence measures and none of the five measures exhibited convergent validity. However, four of the five measures did predict ratings of intercultural decision quality in an intercultural organizational scenario.