An examination of the general decision making style questionnaire in two UK samples

Abstract

Purpose: To examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the general decision making style (GDMS) questionnaire in two UK samples.Design/methodology/approach – The GDMS takes the form of a self‐report questionnaire which identifies five decision making styles: rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant, and spontaneous. It was administered to samples of business studies undergraduates in two UK business schools. Analyses included scale reliabilities, test‐re‐test reliability, and both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses.Findings – The instrument's internal and temporal consistencies were generally sound. Consistent with earlier studies, analyses undertaken on the two samples independently were generally supportive of a five factor model of decision making style. No relationships with gender or year of study were observed.Research limitations/implications – Whilst generally supportive of the GDMS, results suggest that further validation work is required. This could include consideration of the relationships between the GDMS and other measures of cognitive/personality style.Practical implications – The managerial implications of the strengths of and relationships between the different decision making styles observed are discussed.Originality/value – The paper fulfils a stated requirement for further validation study of the GDMS instrument.