The eigenvalues would really only reveal how many classes (single classifier) or how many classifiers are correlated with one another (multiple classifiers). But if you look at the quasi-diagonalized Kappa matrix for all possible pairs of classifiers applied to the 3-class Wine dataset below: [![enter image description here][1]][1] ...you can then perform hierarchical cluster analysis using a modified form of Euclidean distance to see which classifiers cluster with one another: [![enter image description here][2]][2] Note, this Kappa matrix is a $13 \times 13$, so when looking at the clustering, I notice three large groups of classifiers which are sizes 6, 5, and 2, so I would expect the eigenvalues of a correlation matrix (MCC) to perhaps show something similar to this. That is, you wouldn't likely have one large eigenvalue like 8 or 9, with the remaining in the other dimensions. I believe you can do more surgery (drilling down) regarding discovery on classifier behavior taking this approach instead of performing eigendecomposition. [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/r63rA.png [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/FTPsz.png