A Provisional Comparison of Factor Structures Using English, Japanese, and Chinese Versions of the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory

398 graduate and undergraduate students from the USA, Japan, and Hong Kong were administered Kirton's 1976 Adaption-Innovation Inventory of decision style. Factor analysis yielded different factor solutions for each of the three groups. Differences in factor structures suggest that adaption and innovation may be interpreted differently across cultures, with implications for group performance in cross-cultural settings. When used in cross-cultural research, Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory scores should be assessed not only in terms of between-group differences in mean scores but also in terms of differences in underlying factor structures.