Cross-cultural adaptation of the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Organizational Psychology
• Work and Organizational Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Individual Work Performance Questionnaire (IWPQ) is a Dutch instrument measuring task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive work behavior.
• Cross-cultural adaptation is crucial for the valid application of assessment tools in diverse linguistic contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To translate and culturally adapt the IWPQ from Dutch to American-English.
• To evaluate the internal consistency and content validity of the adapted American-English IWPQ.

Main Methods:

• A five-stage translation and adaptation process was employed, including forward translation, synthesis, back-translation, expert review, and pilot testing.
• Cognitive interviews with 40 American workers assessed the comprehensibility, applicability, and completeness of the translated questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Minor modifications were made to instructions and five items for clarity in American-English, standardizing verb tense to simple past.
• Pilot testing indicated positive participant feedback on comprehensibility, applicability, and completeness.
• The American-English IWPQ demonstrated strong internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas 0.79–0.89) and promising content validity.

Conclusions:

• The cross-cultural adaptation of the IWPQ to American-English was successful.
• The psychometric properties of the American-English version are favorable for its use in research and practice.