What is the InQ?

The InQ -- the Inquiry Mode Questionnaire -- is a set of statements with forced, multiple-choice responses designed to determine the subject's mode of thinking. Strong evidence from both experimental and field research, supported by factor-analysis studies, points to the existence of five styles which define most human thinking. The InQ mseasures the extent to which a person uses each of these styles, highlighting the strengths and limitations of each. It measures thinking, not some aspect of personality, and describes key behavioral cues related to each. The five styles are:

• Synthesists, who focus their thinking on ideas and find connections among things that other people see as having little or no relationship -- their style is challenging, speculative, integrative, and process-oriented;
• Idealists, who experience reality as the whole into which new data are assimilated, based on perceived similarities to things they already know -- their style is assimilative, receptive, and need-oriented;
• Pragmatists, who perceive a world constantly changing and largely unpredictable, requiring a flexible, whatever-works approach to problem-solving -- their style is adaptive, incremental, and payoff-oriented;
• Analysts, who see the world as structured, organized, and predictable, who believe there should be one best method for doing anything -- their style is prescriptive and method-oriented; and
• Realists, who are inductive, whose mental modes are derived chiefly from observation and their own experiences -- their style is empirical and task-oriented.

The InQ's Reliability

Validity and Reliability Studies on inquiry modes include: Wes Churchman, Challenge to Reason (McGraw Hill, 1968) and the Design of Inquiring Systems (Basic Books, 1971); Ian Mitroff and Louis Pondy, "On the Organization of Inquiry" (Public Administration Review, September-October, 1974). The InQ has been tested vigorously for validity and reliability (see "An Investigation of Item Characteristics, Reliability and Validity of the Inquiry Mode Questionnaire," in Educational and Psychological Measurement, 1983, Vol. 43).

Compatibility If you are already using other tests, such as Myers-Briggs, then our family of learning materials will add a new and necessary dimension -- people's preferred thinking styles -- to the information generated by those tools. There are correlations between certain parts of the Myers-Briggs and the InQ. Where it correlates, it reinforces the information our tests can offer you. Myers-Briggs addresses thinking styles to a limited extent only. Just think how much more comprehensive your insights can be when using tools that complement each other this way!

New Research We encourage researchers and doctoral students to use the InQ in their research. We can offer a special researchers' discount on our materials. If you are interested, send a letter to us outlining the purpose and design of your project. If approved, we will send a letter of confirmation to you. Our only stipulation is that you share the results and raw data with us and cite us in your publications.

Feedback We invite your comments on your experiences with our learning materials -- what you liked best and least, and your suggestions for improving both the content and how they are presented. Each time we reprint our supplies, we incorporate these improvements as best we can.

Our Guarantee
If you are not satisfied with our materials, please return them to us with our invoice or receipt, and a brief note explaining why they failed to meet your expectations, and you will receive a full refund.