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. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.