This page provides an overview of the main project phases. The collection of empirical data was mission critical: a large number of authentic, i.e. real-life examples of important managerial trust behaviour provided the foundation for the item development process and supported the claim of - what psychometricians call - content and construct validity.

2010/2011 has seen the first wave of data collection, by way of online surveys among distinct groups of experienced managers and leaders; the design of the surveys followed broadly the so-called Critical Incident Technique (Flanagan, 1954). The survey participants provided up to ten concrete examples of managerial actions and/or behaviours that they deemed important in a crisis context.

On the basis of the survey responses, distinct cluster (categories) of the relevant behaviours were established, and validated in two inter-rater agreement studies. Subsequently, a pool of 168 items was developed, reviewed and condensed in a further inter-rater agreement study, and then empirically tested - first in a pilot study and then with a large development sample.

The following slide presentation outlines the approach taken: Click on the picture to view the introductory video & presentation