Building Cultural Competence into our work with Craft Clusters

Master artisan, Dhafali Devi is following a map to knot a rug on her loom

Cultural competencies help us create lasting resilient relationships with the artisans we work with in the traditional craft clusters of India. Artisans are often subject to a ‘cultural dissonance’ by the often upper class educated urban mindset of the brands (and designers) that work with them, but by striving to understand and include the other on the others’ terms and not our own conveniences, we can create a relationship based on equity and agency for all.

Designers and brands seek to recreate traditional Indian craft for western markets, and the artisan is reduced to being a mindless producer, or rather, a reproducer. My previous blog post, ‘The Organization of Power between Artisan and Designer in Indian Craft,’ attempts to explain the results of the lack of cultural competence when dealing with artisan communities.

Cultural Competence is the capacity to understand other cultures and accept other pluralities that enables people to work in multi-cultural environments in an inclusive manner that raises the agency and capabilities of everyone. We should account for the multiple ways of seeing, knowing, being and doing of our people and stakeholders. Since a huge difference exists between the ‘beings and doings’ of artisans and organizations, it is essential that the people entering these communities develop a basic cultural competence in order to treat these communities with respect and autonomy that is due to them.

The University of Kansas’ Center for Community Health and Development (CCHD) has identified the five principles of Cultural Competence as follows:

1. Valuing Diversity: Develop an understanding of and respect for the values, practices and beliefs of the community that we are working with which may be very different from our own. Additionally, for social innovation, understanding the community is a crucial step in designing effective solutions that do not backfire.
2. Conducting Cultural Assessment: Conduct regular self-assessment of cultural awareness and practices of all stakeholders (designers, artisans, management, etc.). We must understand and acknowledge that multiple worldviews exist and create room for the existence and beliefs of these pluralities. An awareness of our own world views, beliefs and practices in order to respond appropriately and be aware of the beliefs of others. This will raise awareness of behavior that may be disrespectful or not inclusive and help develop patterns that can create cultural competence.
3. Understanding Dynamics of Difference: Understand and respect the history and differences between cultures and impacts of behavior that this may influence and use this to guide your own behavior. The gaps between cultures are filled with curiosity and opportunities for learning, use them to build respectful relationships.
4. Institutionalizing Cultural Knowledge: Organizational practices should be designed to encourage, teach and maintain the environment to be accepting and encouraging the growth of diverse cultures. Basic human dignity and respect should be given from both sides.
5. Adapting to Diversity: The organization should design its values and structures to promote diversity in order to recognize, value, respect and meet the needs of all the cultures it works with. Together, we can only grow stronger.

Cultural competence for an organization that works with craft will increase the communication flows between artisan communities and the organization, thereby creating strong bonds which raises the resilience of both, organization and community.

Bibliography:

1. Senge, P. M. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization (Rev. and updated). New York: Doubleday/Currency.
2. University of Kansas’ Center for Community Health and Development (CCHD)
3. Boylston, S. (2019). Designing with Society: A Capabilities Approach to Design, Systems Thinking and Social Innovation. Routledge.