Data Anarchy & Cultural Competency

We present this topic to Data Philly's Speaker Series to talk about some things We love: Anarchy and Culture.

More specifically, we provide a framework for improving cultural competency by ethically harnessing anarchistic sources of cultural data available at, or for, organizations. Slides of this talk are included inline throughout this written synopsis.

Data Anarchy

Data Anarchy is the decentralized, equitable ownership of information without authoritarian governance. It's information everyone can produce, access, and consume equitably and transparently. Most information in organizations is restricted to limited contributors and consumers. Cultural data is a little different. Every member of an organization is capable of contributing and consuming cultural data equally since it can't be owned by any one subgroup of the organization. Aggregation, analysis, and transparent dispersement of this information needs to reflect that reality, otherwise we get an incomplete picture of the organization and decreased meaningfulness in the impact of resulting activities.

Cultural competency

Cultural competency is the capability of working effectively in cross cultural, situational environments through harmonious behaviors, attitudes, and policies. In organizations made of many members, it can't be achieved without engaging each one. Empowering members to engage with and analyze data that drives behaviors, attitudes and policies improves individual and organizational alignment and wellness. Ensuring that engagement is inclusive and equitable amongst members is crucial to effective adoption and impact.

Our Objectives

The objective of achieving cultural competency is to create healthy environments in which members are able to equitably thrive alongside, and in addition to, the organization as a whole. Some specific objectives in the course of achieving that include:

• Engaging and representing existing subcultures.
• Assessing cross-cultural relations.
• Identify opportunities for systemizing cultural enrichment.
• Expansion of individual and organizational cultural knowledge.
• Adaptation of resources to meet culturally unique needs.

Key Performance Indicators

To identify Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that those objectives are being met, we need to further define "healthy" and "thrive" in this context. Subject agnostic implications of cultural, organizational health include authentic self representation (as opposed to assimilation or mimicry), predominant feelings of positivity (instead of cognitive dissonance or ambivalence), and a sense of security (as opposed to insecurity). When each member's needs for sustaining health are limited to the maintenance of existing support and resources, an organization can be considered thriving.

Key Performance Indicators (KPI) include

• Members being equitably represented throughout organizational subgroups.
• Members having a sense of belonging in their authentic and intersectional identities.
• Members feeling mutual appreciation for one another.
• Members being Critically Culturally Considerate.
• The organization and each member are thriving.

Qualitative Methodology & Key Elements

So now that we know what we're talking about doing and why, let's talk about the how. None of these methodologies are groundbreaking new additions to data disciplines, but rather a recognition that well known methodologies apply to cultural research in organizations of all types. Each has a culture and the capacity for competency with existing tooling. The most imperative element of any methodology used is that it is ethical.

Ethnography is driven by member led observations, analysis and engagement of systemic KPI barriers. Some tooling options are communication tools that all members are empowered to utilize, critique, and improve.

In the course of exploring and defining individual experiences, values and aspirations, Feedback Loops engage each member in critical analysis of KPI barriers. This facilitates critiquing the environment's cultural competency from their unique perspective.

Critical Consideration Committees are methodological tools in which members across organizational strata are solicited for insight into critical cultural implications of proposed actions. This is best applied prior to implementing action/policy changes affecting the entire organization. Here it is vital that committee members include those for whom the nature of the actions falls outside their area of expertise.

Motivational Interviewing is a client–centered, directive method for enhancing intrinsic motivation to change by exploring and resolving ambivalence towards improvement or development. Tooling can help systemize this method in a self determined framework.

Wellness Checks can be completed via 360 degrees of conversational support. Supportive services and structures that provide anonymized metrics on KPI patterns can help identify opportunities for wellness checks.

Self Mediated Support Tools facilitate motivational interviewing when they are available to members to plan organizational advancement independently. These connect members to resources and outcomes while providing data about overall organizational development.

Maintaining anarchistic Multivariate Matrices allows members to contribute intersectional cultural data. This is information about themselves they value others knowing, articulating the organizations cultural makeup as a byproduct. Identity building tools allow members authentic, intersectional self representation. This can facilitate a sense of belonging, cultural bonding, and support qualitative and quantitative methodologies further.

What are some tools that you have in your organization that fits one or more of these descriptions?

Quantitative Methodologies & Key Elements

Software Surveys allow the running of queries and reports from tools in use by all members of the organization about usage patterns of those tools. These can provide structure to qualitative data and inform potential actions.

Member Life Cycle data collection can illuminate patterns of engagement, perceptions and outcomes, aiding in tracking KPI along meaningful metrics. An important aspect of this is how members engaged with qualitative collection methods throughout the Life Cycle to observe any resulting patterns in outcomes.

Multistratified Demography offers a granular demography of the organization that can be examined and analyzed from multiple perspectives of stratification. This offers a comprehensive profile of the organizations cultural diversification and health. Tooling needs to utilize and produce data sets that are universally accessible.

What are some tools that you have in your organization that fits one or more of these descriptions?

So, to summarize:

• Cultural data is anarchy! Embracing that anarchy makes Us more effective at developing cultural competency. This benefits the organization and each of its members.
• We need a mixed methods approach involving qualitative and quantitative data produced by and accessible to members.
• Healthy thriving cultures derive from healthy, thriving humans. Organizations are nothing without them.

You are also welcome to reach out to us directly if you want to chat, we're happy to help.