Intercultural Work Readiness refers to the set of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors required for an individual to function effectively in multicultural or international work environments.
The project Intercultural Work Readiness of Migrant Workers (IWORK) aims to develop and psychometrically validate a new self-report instrument for assessing the intercultural readiness of mobile labor forces. The instrument will be used by the funding organization, WORKINEUROPE IKE, to evaluate the intercultural work readiness of third-country nationals intending to seek employment in Greece.
The project adopts a mixed-methods design, combining qualitative research for conceptual grounding and initial item generation with quantitative research for psychometric analysis and final scale validation. This approach ensures that the new instrument will be theoretically grounded, culturally sensitive, and psychometrically robust, providing a reliable and valid tool for assessing intercultural readiness. In turn, it is expected to contribute to optimal human resource management and to facilitate the professional and social integration of migrant workers.
The first phase involves qualitative research for content development. Semi-structured individual interviews will be conducted with employers and managerial staff of enterprises that employ—or intend to employ—migrant workers in Greece. The objective is to explore the conceptual understanding of intercultural work readiness and to identify the desired attributes (skills, competencies, behaviors) considered critical for successful workplace adaptation. The qualitative material will be subjected to thematic analysis in order to identify central themes, dimensions, and conceptual structures underlying the construct as articulated by participants. Based on the emergent themes, an initial pool of original scale items will be developed. In parallel, a systematic review of the open-access literature will be conducted to identify existing psychometrically validated measures of intercultural readiness/competence. Items deemed theoretically relevant to the construct definition and dimensions emerging from the first phase will be selected and incorporated into the preliminary version of the scale, thereby ensuring content validity.
The second phase involves quantitative research for pilot administration and psychometric evaluation of the newly developed scale. The expanded initial version of the instrument will be administered to a sample of third-country nationals (prospective migrant workers) intending to work in Greece. Information regarding participants’ prior multicultural work experience will also be collected. Data collection will be carried out in collaboration with the workforce recruitment company funding the research. Written informed consent will be obtained prior to participation. Participation will be voluntary, and anonymity and confidentiality of responses will be strictly ensured. Quantitative data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical techniques to evaluate the psychometric properties of the scale (item suitability, reliability, and validity). Based on the psychometric results, items will be removed or revised as necessary. This process will lead to the final, shortened, and psychometrically validated version of the Intercultural Work Readiness Scale, accompanied by administration and scoring guidelines.
The research team of the Laboratory of Applied Cross-Cultural and Social Psychology consists of four members:
