Cross‐cultural validity of integrity assessments for lower‐level and higher‐level jobs
International Journal of Selection and Assessment
Published online on February 05, 2018
Abstract
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This research brief examines the cross‐cultural validity of two multi‐dimensional integrity assessments, one for lower‐level jobs and one for higher‐level jobs. Job applicants for a global company completed the assessments as a part of the hiring process in three countries: the United States, South Africa, and Mexico. U.S. applicants tended to score higher (i.e., higher integrity) on these assessments and make fewer admissions of counterproductive work behaviors than applicants from South Africa and Mexico. The overall scores for these assessments (and most of the individual scales) were correlated significantly with, for each country separately and globally, three composites of self‐reported counterproductive work behavior criterion measures (Theft, Counterproductivity, and Overall Risky Behavior). Construct validity evidence was examined with a measure of Collusion Avoidance (tolerance for colluding with external organized criminals). Overall, the results of this research highlight the importance of including an integrity assessment in the hiring processes for lower‐level and higher‐level (i.e., professional and managerial) jobs globally. Integrity assessments appear to have practical value in countries with higher prevalence of crime and corruption. The results also bolster previous research indicating that integrity assessments are valid outside of the U.S. context in which they were initially developed over 60 years ago.
- International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Volume 26, Issue 1, Page 66-74,
March 2018.