How to incorporate the intercultural perspective into organizations

Interculturalism is a social and political approach and an ethical position. It goes beyond the management of egalitarian policies, it is a structural attitude that advocates coexistence and common construction in diversity. Despite its name, the intercultural perspective does not only involve culture: it is an intersectional formulation .

The adoption of an intercultural perspective by organizations therefore requires actions in all their sectors , whether in management, structure, the approach to actions, or even a reformulation of their raison d'être. It is also necessary to think in a participatory way , because the incorporation of different voices will facilitate the incorporation of diversity.

This approach will allow the entity to advance its commitment to equality and improve its functioning, because it will favor the construction of a common public culture within it through dialogue. In other words, the more people and the more different, the more points of view from which to build.

Below are some tips for incorporating the intercultural perspective into organizations . This resource was written based on the advisory guide ' How to incorporate the intercultural perspective into associations ' by Torre Jussana , and the ' Guide to incorporating the intercultural perspective into the Table of Third Social Sector Organizations of Catalonia '.

What is it?

Interculturality promotes the relationship between groups and people of different cultural backgrounds and the coexistence of these groups with equal rights, duties and opportunities , both in terms of more formal and bureaucratic issues and what is related to their customs and culture in general.

This perspective, in fact, refers to all aspects of the person that give them a sense of belonging , including identity (gender, social class, religion, hobbies, etc.). It involves not only protecting and all those traits that have been discriminated against, but also introducing them into common dialogue to create a safe and enriching space for exchange .

Because another thing that interculturality contemplates is the fight against assimilation . An entity that wants to work with interculturality becomes aware of differences and incorporates them into its way of doing things, creating spaces for coexistence and sharing , and incorporating them into its objectives and values ​​as an integral and unconditional part.

Self-diagnosis

The first step in incorporating the intercultural perspective into an entity is to know where it stands . We must begin by identifying the internal diversity of the association and its environment: what are we talking about? Which people or groups represent it? What can they contribute to the entity?

One way to respond to this is to set quantitative and qualitative indicators to know how the different groups have participated in the activities, if at all. The CRAJ offers a diagnostic service that can serve as a starting point. 

Then it is advisable to question the way it works , understanding that it can always be improved. No matter how egalitarian the structure may seem, it is very difficult to find the shortcomings if you are not part of the discriminated group. It will therefore be necessary to analyze the possible obstacles that all types of groups may have to join the project.

Beyond the operation itself, it is interesting to analyze the environment and find points of contact with the neighborhood or the city, in order to design actions in the future that make a difference and invite people with diverse interests to participate.

A constant and comprehensive work

This diagnosis cannot stop once the relevant modifications have been made. The entity will need to be permanently reviewed , with self-criticism , because society is a changing entity, and new needs will constantly arise.

Thus, it is necessary to keep an open mind at all times, in order to approach people completely free from prejudice . The best way to do this is, precisely, to establish reciprocal relationships and partnerships with all kinds of groups.

The review of the entity must be comprehensive, questioning its own habits in order to increase possibilities and improve the integration of a wider audience , guaranteeing access to everyone and offering spaces for participation under conditions of equality . It is necessary to keep in mind the diversity of the environment at all times, in order to assess which profiles may not feel challenged, and what the reasons are.

In the reason for being

As has been pointed out, the work of incorporating the intercultural perspective must be integral, and must occur throughout the entire structure of the entity , including its foundations, principles and objectives . The answer to questions such as “What is the entity?”, “Where is it going?” “What does it do?” must include this approach, which must become a commitment to the very foundations of the entity.

It is about assuming values ​​such as mutual support, diversity, respect, coexistence, empathy, joint work, coexistence... It is also important to review methodologies in this sense, with openness to new proposals, managing and addressing diversity. 

In action

It will also be necessary to put interculturality into practice through specific actions that detect and incorporate diversity. This will have to be programmed into the objectives of the activities and projects , which will be easier since the entity's raison d'être has already been modified in this direction.

For example, actions can be aimed at visualizing different ways of doing things within the entity's themes (sports, food, arts, games, etc.), taking advantage of the knowledge of the various groups belonging to the entity and its environment. Specific sections can also be programmed in the proposed actions such as round tables, exhibitions or debates to promote the exchange of knowledge .

Another option is to act as a speaker, and propose addressing more global issues , such as the climate emergency or health, through the speeches of the various groups in the neighborhood or the surrounding area. The idea is to make clear the existence of alternative and cosmopolitan solutions from the closest and most local space. 

Intercultural actions must be organized in the spirit of integrating the social and cultural diversity existing in the neighborhood in order to give it a voice, understanding its needs and making room for the assessment of its specific improvement proposals.

In participation

But it is not enough to just incorporate different people and their voices into the activities and the entity, but it is also necessary to work actively to make them feel part of the project , to ensure their participation, both in decision-making and in the social base and external relations and social networks. This also means including them in the structure, in the boards and decision-making bodies, as well as in positions of responsibility for the various projects and initiatives.

It is also important to ensure that new hires understand the content , offering materials in multiple languages ​​and, if possible, having translators. It is also essential to guarantee their ability to express themselves .

Similarly, it would be interesting to incorporate various points of view into the internal celebrations or conferences that are held, so that they are not only a space open to other festive forms, but also promote the exchange of customs.

Training

Sometimes changing the mentality is not so easy, and it is not enough to carry out a transformation and restructuring work. That is why, to incorporate the intercultural perspective, it is interesting to consider the possibility of providing training to the entity's team , in order to ground and formalize attitudes .

The aim would be to acquire theoretical and practical knowledge about this approach and how to apply it from experts, as well as to establish synergies with other entities that have experience in the field. For this reason, it is important to include courses and workshops on this topic in the entity's training plans, as well as to make specialized literature available to the team.

There are many options for intercultural training topics : prejudices, adoption of inclusive language, awareness-raising strategies, fight against discrimination...

Formalization

All these actions will be diluted if they are not included in the framework documents of the association . Recording the cultural perspective in the statutes, regulations, training plans, project design documents, and grant submissions is important so that its adoption is organic , well-founded, and sustainable over time.  

In addition, all these writings and communications made by the entity must be consistent with the new values ​​incorporated, so care must be taken to use inclusive language . It is also important to have accessible materials and resources (in easy reading, in several languages, etc.).

Finally, it is essential not to forget the creation of internal anti-discrimination protocols . Even if intercultural values ​​are promoted and trained, it is necessary to decide what actions will be taken if in any case they are left aside.