Developing and validating a culturally grounded scale of indigenous leadership competencies: Evidence from Maya-Mam and Xinka communities in Guatemala

Indigenous communities in Guatemala face persistent social, economic, and political inequities that limit their participation in development decision-making, including agricultural and rural development initiatives. Leadership development programs often rely on Western leadership models that many times do not reflect Indigenous epistemologies and communal leadership practices. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate an empirical instrument to measure the perceptions of Maya-Mam and Xinka communities regarding the leadership competencies that characterize effective indigenous leaders. Guided by Indigenous Maya-Mam and Xinka leadership practices, an initial 20-item instrument was developed, pilot-tested, and validated. Data were collected from 138 Indigenous community members using both paper-based and online surveys. Exploratory factor analysis retained 13 items across a four-factor structure: service, mediation, Indigenous values, and experience, accounting for 43.71% of the total variance following rotation. The overall scale demonstrated evidence of convergent and discriminant validity, indicating that the resulting instrument is a psychometrically sound, culturally grounded tool for measuring community perceptions of Indigenous leadership competencies. This instrument provides agricultural development practitioners, extension professionals, and development organizations with a culturally connected tool to support their assessments and strengthen Indigenous leadership capacity.