The Intercultural Development Continuum (IDC) consists of five developmental mindsets that indicate an individual’s orientation towards cultural differences. The IDC model is drawn from analysis of data from the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a validated proprietary 50-item self-report questionnaire that assesses intercultural sensitivity. The IDI was originally developed based on Milton and Janet Bennett’s work with the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), which includes a 6th mindset—integration—that appears empirically in qualitative data but does not align well with IDI data. A recent re-imagining of these models that accounts for variation in a person’s orientation over time and by context is the Intercultural Pendulum. Many intercultural facilitators consider their learners’ orientations when designing curriculum, in a practice known as "stage-based pedagogy."

Friendship: Individuals will foster meaningful connections with others on a peer level.

Teamwork: Individuals will build skills and attitudes that support successful collaboration in multicultural or international groups.

Mentorship or Leadership: Individuals will build capacity to guide, lead, or support the development of diverse others.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Individuals will strive to include and value a variety of voices while ensuring fair treatment and opportunity for all identities.

Emotional Resilience: Individuals will practice managing their emotions in a challenging situation, or learn strategies for developing that ability.