Applying an Intercultural Approach as We Wrap Up the Year
Originally written November 5th.
It feels like a sacred time of transition, gratitude, awakening and connection– to self, others, to nature, and to ways we can be held. There remains considerable grief and pain in the collective around us as we move towards the close of 2021. This may bring a rush of sensations – discomfort, stress, and urgency around what remains unfinished. Or maybe, calm is present, or it can be invited in. Can you pause here to slow down? To catch your breath.
It has been a long year – a meandering and confusing time. People have given a lot. Held a lot. And there is much more. Undone. Unprocessed. Unsaid. Unraveling. Growing.
In society and in our workplaces, as people interact, vote for/against policies in local elections, and make decisions for themselves and their teams, remember how when a small pebble is dropped, the water ripples out beyond.
People may be feeling and holding a lot, and so are others.
I believe many people want to have a positive impact and at the same time, have been taught to minimize/ignore differences and the depths of diverging and shared histories. Until more of us can be with those histories and our diverging and shared realities today, I feel we miss something core to our humanity.
One way to seek to bring more awareness and intentionality to our interactions is to cultivate intercultural competence.
*Intercultural Competence (IC) – building our capability to shift perspective and effectively adapt behavior to cultural difference and commonality / helping us be more responsive and attentive to people’s needs.
*Culture – the shared values, norms, beliefs, agreements of any group of interacting people; taught and passed on explicitly and implicitly. For instance, this may be based on shared identity around race, ethnicity, religion, gender, etc.
So, how can you apply [an intercultural approach]?
It is helpful to understand what you [pay attention to] and [were taught to ignore/minimize]. Not bad or good; rather the ways we have differences and similarities with others and how this shapes our perspectives, experiences, and access to ways to meet our needs.
Folks, especially who are part of dominant/advantaged identity groups in society, may not realize the extent to which they may be operating from within their own cultural worldview as a standard for all interactions, policies, and systems.
So it is important to start noticing this more. Again, not bad or good, but awareness-building as an important part of capacity building for leaders.
What’s coming up? Pause. Notice.
So, as you consider building your awareness, remember this image reposted from Facebook. It reads: “A friendly reminder that you don’t need to fully understand the nuances of gender identity to know that each individual person knows who they are better than you ever will.”
Ask yourself: How often do you (actually) lead and listen to others with the view that they are the experts in their own experiences?
It seems like “well, of course” but I imagine the reality is less ideal. We are in our heads and points-of-view a lot.
So, by focusing on this above message, it may encourage you to get more curious about others and to practice setting aside your worldview filter (and the stereotypes and assumptions that go with it) while you’re at it.
When we are in situations in the coming weeks:
What is important about this to this other person?
How is this different/like what I was taught to think?
Am I in my head, rather than “over there’ with someone? Trying to understand what they are sharing…
What internalized assumptions and ideas (i.e. white body supremacy) are shaping this experience?
A handful of events this month where you might practice these skills: Indigenous celebrations, Transgender Day of Remembrance (20), International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25), Hanukkah (28), International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People (29).
*Thoughts shaped by my work conducting the IDI and influenced by other IDI practitioners and IDI LLC
Community Resource Spotlight:
An important effort is happening surrounding agricultural workers rights to overtime pay and honoring the intent with which SB-87 was passed and signed into law in June. Get curious about what this means to the people involved.
“The Division of Labor Standards and Statistics must adopt a final version of the order containing the new agricultural rules by Nov. 10, and it will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022 (though some provisions, including overtime, won’t kick in until later).” https://coloradonewsline.com/2021/11/02/proposed-overtime-pay-rules-agricultural-workers