A 2008 UNDP-sponsored study showing 4 billion people cannot improve life for themselves because they are excluded from the rule of law rocked my world. The authors, including Madeleine Albright, indicated billions of dollars in relief and development are wasted in countries without good, enforced laws and fair courts. The poor remain poor without legal empowerment.
"Charity is no substitute for justice withheld," said St. Augustine around 400 AD. So perhaps this is nothing new. But, then I ask myself, should we stop work in places where judges, police, and other authorities are corrupt?
From an efficiency perspective and objective evaluation, we must answer yes. The link between aid and functioning public justice systems was brilliantly argued in a 2010 Foreign Affairs article by Gary Haugen and Victor Boutros. Charities, foundations, and international development agencies need to change.
However, then we look at the wider definition of justice: a balance or equity of right relationships, proper use of power/influence, and a well-ordered community so that all flourish. Also, we can't stereotype an entire country. There may be pockets of justice and community-led reform that need our help. These truths mean we must answer no. Development and reconciliation projects should happen anywhere there is a felt need.
Perhaps the answer is to be aware and balanced. To work towards just legal structures as well as "neighborly" living conditions.
But for me the key piece is that we engage in justice efforts with local partners that desire and DRIVE the collaboration. Getting to common ground and assessing motives is difficult. The outsider is perceived to have unlimited money and power; this initially can attract the wrong people. But there are ways to find good partners through asking great questions. By finding people already doing the type of work you're trying to 'establish'. This cultural intelligence (CQ) piece is crucial. If a local/national leader makes the key decisions, controls distribution of the money, and is bought-into the results, then the work can have a long-lasting impact. When Westerners come set up an office or project and then just hire locals, it's efficient in the short-term and likely to fail in the long-term.
While sitting in The Justice Conference last week, I was reminded how culture-bound the Western view of justice is. Although "minorities" in the USA (i.e. first nations people/Native Americans, or blacks) might understand the breadth of justice, the culture I come from hasn't. First, we think of justice mostly as laws, punishment, or lack of corruption. That's a crucial slice of the justice pie, but there is more and it's based around restoring relationships so all flourish. Second, we look for theories and discuss solutions. For most people, including the Dalits I lived and worked with in India, they simply were engaged in justice daily. Because so much injustice existed, in the mere effort to move ahead with their lives, they instinctively dealt with justice issues. No time to think and plan. Just dive in.
Are both approaches needed? Sure. Can we help each other? Definitely. But it depends on clear conversations, examining our motives, and finding great partners as we tackle foundational issues like legal empowerment. That takes hard work.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Innovation and Self-Deception
Pondering “The Hazards of Confidence” (excerpts below) gave me flashbacks. We often think we’re helping cross-culturally, but we’re not meeting felt needs. Or we’re rushing to conclusions about the helpfulness of an innovation, when a different (usually simpler) innovation is needed.
In India, I remember a group of Westerners teaching a sewing class to some ladies from the slums. It was advanced sewing and teaching how to make a specific item that would never sell in India. And then they gave electric sewing machines to the vocational school. The feedback about the training was positive – the ladies appeared attentive and appreciative, and produced a reasonable quality garment. The guests told themselves they’d succeeded and the future was bright.
The reality was the Indian ladies were trying to respect the visitors so answered “yes” to all questions, knew that electricity outages were common and preferred pedal-powered sewing machines, and didn’t see a need to improve the quality of the garments. A class on basic sewing techniques and gift of different sewing machines would have been more beneficial for everyone.
Books like “The Logic Of Failure: Recognizing And Avoiding Error In Complex Situations” by Dorner and “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Kahneman (author of article below) help us analyze self-deception and overconfidence. This is especially important when we apply a new or established concept or invention to a new situation (in other words, innovation). But there’s an added dimension of difficulty when your feedback comes through interpreters or even from English-speakers with a different value system. If I’ve learned one thing from living overseas: ask the wrong question and you’ll always get the wrong answer. But even more, if you ask the right question to the wrong person you’ll get the wrong answer. Asking great questions to appropriate people, collecting valid feedback, and stepping back to evaluate the felt needs (not just the obvious needs) of communities is challenging – and crucial.
* * * * * * * * * * *
“When a compelling impression of a particular event clashes with general knowledge, the impression commonly prevails. And this goes for you, too. The confidence you will experience in your future judgments will not be diminished by what you just read, even if you believe every word.”
“You should not take assertive and confident people at their own evaluation unless you have independent reason to believe that they know what they are talking about…”
“Overconfidence arises because people are often blind to their own blindness. True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes. You are probably an expert in guessing your spouse’s mood from one word on the telephone; chess players find a strong move in a single glance at a complex position; and true legends of instant diagnoses are common among physicians.”
And my favorite: “…men act on their useless ideas significantly more often than women do, and…as a result women achieve better investment results than men.”
In India, I remember a group of Westerners teaching a sewing class to some ladies from the slums. It was advanced sewing and teaching how to make a specific item that would never sell in India. And then they gave electric sewing machines to the vocational school. The feedback about the training was positive – the ladies appeared attentive and appreciative, and produced a reasonable quality garment. The guests told themselves they’d succeeded and the future was bright.
The reality was the Indian ladies were trying to respect the visitors so answered “yes” to all questions, knew that electricity outages were common and preferred pedal-powered sewing machines, and didn’t see a need to improve the quality of the garments. A class on basic sewing techniques and gift of different sewing machines would have been more beneficial for everyone.
Books like “The Logic Of Failure: Recognizing And Avoiding Error In Complex Situations” by Dorner and “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Kahneman (author of article below) help us analyze self-deception and overconfidence. This is especially important when we apply a new or established concept or invention to a new situation (in other words, innovation). But there’s an added dimension of difficulty when your feedback comes through interpreters or even from English-speakers with a different value system. If I’ve learned one thing from living overseas: ask the wrong question and you’ll always get the wrong answer. But even more, if you ask the right question to the wrong person you’ll get the wrong answer. Asking great questions to appropriate people, collecting valid feedback, and stepping back to evaluate the felt needs (not just the obvious needs) of communities is challenging – and crucial.
* * * * * * * * * * *
“When a compelling impression of a particular event clashes with general knowledge, the impression commonly prevails. And this goes for you, too. The confidence you will experience in your future judgments will not be diminished by what you just read, even if you believe every word.”
“You should not take assertive and confident people at their own evaluation unless you have independent reason to believe that they know what they are talking about…”
“Overconfidence arises because people are often blind to their own blindness. True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes. You are probably an expert in guessing your spouse’s mood from one word on the telephone; chess players find a strong move in a single glance at a complex position; and true legends of instant diagnoses are common among physicians.”
And my favorite: “…men act on their useless ideas significantly more often than women do, and…as a result women achieve better investment results than men.”
Thursday, February 02, 2012
Can you really measure social transformation?
How can you assess the impact of a child sponsorship program? Is giving a community clean water or mosquito nets more effective? When we say we want to end poverty, how will we measure it?
A new breed of development economists are starting to use research and statistical practices from the medical world to measure our efforts in development and humanitarian projects. As a guy who likes more than anecdotes and case studies, I like it. As a person who wants to be a good steward of their donations, I like it. As someone who lived overseas and struggled to find unbiased info and get clarity, I like it.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite books from the last five years, Better, by an Indian-origin surgeon named Atul Gawande. His basic premise was: please please please, measure something! If we want to improve and use our short lives wisely, try to benchmark things.
A magazine article "Cost Effective Compassion" by a US economist I read last night takes this one step further. Using randomized controlled trials of people both inside and outside relief and development programs, he's learned to more accurately assess progress. Good stuff. And while child sponsorships still make economic sense for long-term development, I was interested to note the huge cost-benefit ratio of drilling water wells, de-worming, mosquito nets, and clean-burning stoves (in order of most effective to lesser). Unfortunately, giving laptops and animals, or drinking fair-trade coffee are things that make us feel good, but have a small impact.
Of course, all this is centered around culture: when you give the survey or ask the questions, will they understand what you mean?
UPDATE: I’ve since heard that some good books on the topic include “Poor Economics” by Banerjee and Duflo and “More Than Good Intentions” by Karlan and Appel. Behavioral economics has been popularized by the "Freakonomics" books as well.
A new breed of development economists are starting to use research and statistical practices from the medical world to measure our efforts in development and humanitarian projects. As a guy who likes more than anecdotes and case studies, I like it. As a person who wants to be a good steward of their donations, I like it. As someone who lived overseas and struggled to find unbiased info and get clarity, I like it.
I'm reminded of one of my favorite books from the last five years, Better, by an Indian-origin surgeon named Atul Gawande. His basic premise was: please please please, measure something! If we want to improve and use our short lives wisely, try to benchmark things.
A magazine article "Cost Effective Compassion" by a US economist I read last night takes this one step further. Using randomized controlled trials of people both inside and outside relief and development programs, he's learned to more accurately assess progress. Good stuff. And while child sponsorships still make economic sense for long-term development, I was interested to note the huge cost-benefit ratio of drilling water wells, de-worming, mosquito nets, and clean-burning stoves (in order of most effective to lesser). Unfortunately, giving laptops and animals, or drinking fair-trade coffee are things that make us feel good, but have a small impact.
Of course, all this is centered around culture: when you give the survey or ask the questions, will they understand what you mean?
UPDATE: I’ve since heard that some good books on the topic include “Poor Economics” by Banerjee and Duflo and “More Than Good Intentions” by Karlan and Appel. Behavioral economics has been popularized by the "Freakonomics" books as well.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
3.5 Observations about Re-entry (not the burning space junk kind)
I've been back in the USA for 5 months and thinking about cultural re-entry issues lately. A lot has been written on this over the years, but most companies and non-profits don't implement it. They offer less support for re-entry than they did preparing you for your overseas work. Our organization was much better than the average! I also enjoyed a great book, "The Art of Coming Home". But here are some quick thoughts.
1) You do weird things for a while even though you try not to. I cognitively know that most bathrooms in the USA have toilet paper, but I still carried a roll with me the first few weeks. A colleague also pointed out that I still re-confirm appointments 24 hours before the appointed time (probably out of a fear the 'monsoon' rains or an unnounced strike will come up?!).
2) You slowly remember who's who. Living overseas is all about understanding a new network and who are the influencers versus the followers. You listen or filter advice based on who it comes from. Upon return, I'm reassessing (especially in the professional sphere) which organizations or people are still on the forward edge and speak with credibility.
3) You notice odd, small changes in your home culture. The explosion of gift cards for sale immediately caught my attention upon return. The amount of postal junk mail people receive. And more.
3.5) You enjoy the small pleasures. Like snow falling this morning and the windows that seal completely. And sinking my teeth into a brownie...or a beef hotdog.
1) You do weird things for a while even though you try not to. I cognitively know that most bathrooms in the USA have toilet paper, but I still carried a roll with me the first few weeks. A colleague also pointed out that I still re-confirm appointments 24 hours before the appointed time (probably out of a fear the 'monsoon' rains or an unnounced strike will come up?!).
2) You slowly remember who's who. Living overseas is all about understanding a new network and who are the influencers versus the followers. You listen or filter advice based on who it comes from. Upon return, I'm reassessing (especially in the professional sphere) which organizations or people are still on the forward edge and speak with credibility.
3) You notice odd, small changes in your home culture. The explosion of gift cards for sale immediately caught my attention upon return. The amount of postal junk mail people receive. And more.
3.5) You enjoy the small pleasures. Like snow falling this morning and the windows that seal completely. And sinking my teeth into a brownie...or a beef hotdog.
Friday, December 23, 2011
For deep experiences, is salad bowl or melting pot best?
I was priviledged to have an informational interview with Janet Bennett, a pioneer and thought leader in the intercultural communications world, a few days ago. Among her many insights, I was struck by a comment on recent findings about study abroad students. The ones who do the best in learning about culture, thriving during the program, etc. do NOT spend all their time with hosts.
They do best when they spend the majority of the day immersed in the new culture and then return to live with people from their own culture who can help them process their experience. (Obvously, it is a problem if they spend too little time in the host culture as well. The ideal numbers are 25-75% of their waking hours in the host culture, I believe.)
In a similar vein, we had a short discussion about faith communities and their efforts to be multi-ethnic. Many churches -- and other religious organizations -- try to draw in all the ethnicities represented in their community to a "united" service or program. The leaders (often white Western males) are usually convinced that everyone should move toward each other, adjust, and eventually become completely united in our diversity. But is this the best?
When I lived in South Africa during a turbulent time (my family left Cape Town three days before Mandela was elected), I began to understand unity wasn't the ultimate goal. From universities to the churches to media, separate language and culture specific programs with irregular opportunities for cross-cultural unity were emerging as the best model.
People certainly should come together at times to express their unity. Certainly we should learn to understand each other and cooperate on specific projects/issues/programs to build a better world. Definitely we must move past tolerance towards respect. But for deep experiences -- whether a learning experience like study abroad or a religious worship experience -- they are best done in your mother-tongue and with people like you.
Of course, this assumes the people from your culture are good at processing cross-cultural experiences, helping you focus on principles not minor differences, and don't reinforce stereotypes. Also, keeping "separate but equal" programs is virtually impossible for a government like South Africa -- or India which has thousands of sub-cultures -- to administer fairly. But that is fodder for another blog entry.
If my kids study abroad someday, I might not fight to the death for them to live with a host family. Then again, cross-cultural success is an art (as well as science) and perhaps if the goal is language learning, it would be good.
But the bottom line is that we shouldn't assume complete immersion or integration is always possible or best. Perhaps a salad bowl instead of a melting pot is a healthy model.
They do best when they spend the majority of the day immersed in the new culture and then return to live with people from their own culture who can help them process their experience. (Obvously, it is a problem if they spend too little time in the host culture as well. The ideal numbers are 25-75% of their waking hours in the host culture, I believe.)
In a similar vein, we had a short discussion about faith communities and their efforts to be multi-ethnic. Many churches -- and other religious organizations -- try to draw in all the ethnicities represented in their community to a "united" service or program. The leaders (often white Western males) are usually convinced that everyone should move toward each other, adjust, and eventually become completely united in our diversity. But is this the best?
When I lived in South Africa during a turbulent time (my family left Cape Town three days before Mandela was elected), I began to understand unity wasn't the ultimate goal. From universities to the churches to media, separate language and culture specific programs with irregular opportunities for cross-cultural unity were emerging as the best model.
People certainly should come together at times to express their unity. Certainly we should learn to understand each other and cooperate on specific projects/issues/programs to build a better world. Definitely we must move past tolerance towards respect. But for deep experiences -- whether a learning experience like study abroad or a religious worship experience -- they are best done in your mother-tongue and with people like you.
Of course, this assumes the people from your culture are good at processing cross-cultural experiences, helping you focus on principles not minor differences, and don't reinforce stereotypes. Also, keeping "separate but equal" programs is virtually impossible for a government like South Africa -- or India which has thousands of sub-cultures -- to administer fairly. But that is fodder for another blog entry.
If my kids study abroad someday, I might not fight to the death for them to live with a host family. Then again, cross-cultural success is an art (as well as science) and perhaps if the goal is language learning, it would be good.
But the bottom line is that we shouldn't assume complete immersion or integration is always possible or best. Perhaps a salad bowl instead of a melting pot is a healthy model.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
How India changed me…for good
Yes, living in another culture can change you both permanently and, if processed fully, for the better. After being back for three months and having a little time to reflect, here’s an incomplete list of how six years in India changed me.
Using the rear view mirror less. (Carpe moment!) When driving in India, you generally ignore what’s behind you and focus fully on what is throwing itself across your path. There’s plenty to watch out for (camels, cows, carts). It helps that top speed was about 35 mph, but still. When I’m meeting with you, I’m now better at seizing the moment (not just the day) and focusing on the conversation instead of living in the past or future. Also, if you want to meet and give me two options, I’ll take the soonest appointment possible because I suspect that a strike, civil unrest, flood, power outage, etc. could affect the later appointment. Sooner is more likely to happen…and if not, we can try again later. Similarly, if I see root beer in the store (or anything I’ve been searching for), I’ll buy extras right now. Perhaps your whole stock. You may not have more for a while.
There’s more than one way. When my internet was down at home, I knew a tall passing truck had probably torn down my cable (again). But there was always a USB modem. Or walking to a cyber café. Or parking beside a nearby office with wi-fi and my laptop in hand. There are many ways to get things done, and in India you’re forced to explore and exploit those. Good for people like me who can find routine becoming a rut.
Limited options aren’t bad. The cereal aisle had 8-10 types. There were four kinds of pop (soda). If you could buy cheese, it was normally either mozzarella or cheddar. Limited options can streamline and speed up life. You survive just fine. You save time and energy by not obsessing over the infinite choices.
Pondering the network of relationships. In my culture where the end generally justifies the means and independence is valued, I never learned to forecast the relationship domino effect. I now think more about how an action might help or harm a relationship and – more than that – other associated relationships. Since the majority of the world’s cultures and businesses operate on caste/class/circles of influence, this is a great skill to enhance.
Never too close for comfort. I’m now aware of the huge amount of inhabited but empty buildings sitting around the USA. Most homes are empty during the day. Churches, synagogues, and mosques are only full during periodic meetings. In India, we had friends live with us at times, plenty of visitors, helpers coming and going, and more. Most families have relatives living with them or live-in servants or guards, so the house is always occupied. Places of worship are used for community meetings and more. You could say it feels more crowded, but it now appears to me to be a better use of space and wise stewardship.
I’m sure there are more ways I’ve changed. Give me a few more months or a lifetime to think about it.
Using the rear view mirror less. (Carpe moment!) When driving in India, you generally ignore what’s behind you and focus fully on what is throwing itself across your path. There’s plenty to watch out for (camels, cows, carts). It helps that top speed was about 35 mph, but still. When I’m meeting with you, I’m now better at seizing the moment (not just the day) and focusing on the conversation instead of living in the past or future. Also, if you want to meet and give me two options, I’ll take the soonest appointment possible because I suspect that a strike, civil unrest, flood, power outage, etc. could affect the later appointment. Sooner is more likely to happen…and if not, we can try again later. Similarly, if I see root beer in the store (or anything I’ve been searching for), I’ll buy extras right now. Perhaps your whole stock. You may not have more for a while.
There’s more than one way. When my internet was down at home, I knew a tall passing truck had probably torn down my cable (again). But there was always a USB modem. Or walking to a cyber café. Or parking beside a nearby office with wi-fi and my laptop in hand. There are many ways to get things done, and in India you’re forced to explore and exploit those. Good for people like me who can find routine becoming a rut.
Limited options aren’t bad. The cereal aisle had 8-10 types. There were four kinds of pop (soda). If you could buy cheese, it was normally either mozzarella or cheddar. Limited options can streamline and speed up life. You survive just fine. You save time and energy by not obsessing over the infinite choices.
Pondering the network of relationships. In my culture where the end generally justifies the means and independence is valued, I never learned to forecast the relationship domino effect. I now think more about how an action might help or harm a relationship and – more than that – other associated relationships. Since the majority of the world’s cultures and businesses operate on caste/class/circles of influence, this is a great skill to enhance.
Never too close for comfort. I’m now aware of the huge amount of inhabited but empty buildings sitting around the USA. Most homes are empty during the day. Churches, synagogues, and mosques are only full during periodic meetings. In India, we had friends live with us at times, plenty of visitors, helpers coming and going, and more. Most families have relatives living with them or live-in servants or guards, so the house is always occupied. Places of worship are used for community meetings and more. You could say it feels more crowded, but it now appears to me to be a better use of space and wise stewardship.
I’m sure there are more ways I’ve changed. Give me a few more months or a lifetime to think about it.
Friday, November 11, 2011
On my Reading List: Fall 2011
I enjoyed a similar list by Seth Godin which you should check out as well. I'm still reading about a 50-50 mix of books on Kindle and physical copies, by the way. Wonder if that will shift for me in 2012?! A quick summary of books that I'm reading these days.
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand. I know this historical non-fiction book has been out for a year, but finally read it and it was worth every minute. Incredible story of Olympian, castaway survivor, Japanese World War II camps, forgiveness, and resilience. Great writing, but the story reveals the best and worst of humans, cultural differences, and the ability to transcend suffering.
Transforming Worldviews, by Hiebert. I'm a third of the way through a book that takes a lot of concentration but addresses the critical issue of how people change. Written near the end of the celebrated anthropologist's life, Hiebert is at his best with helpful diagrams and insights. Reminds me of similar insights from Influencer and other books.
The Cultural Intelligence Difference, by Livermore. Enjoyed this book by an academic who makes CQ very practical. Lots of good suggestions for improving CQ as well as an overview of the importance/cost of CQ. Probably the easiest read and most applied of Livermore's four books on the topic.
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Ferriss. Another older book, but I'm always amazed at how uncommon common sense is. But Ferriss has lots of it. He provides practical hints on everything from controlling your email inbox to establishing a small business. Fun reading and gets my brainstorm going. I'm almost done but might re-read parts!
Treasure Island, by Stevenson. This book is only 125 years old, but a great fiction adventure which took my mind off everything stressful. Read it on my Kindle and enjoyed every minute of this classic.
Another Lousy Day in Paradise, by Gierach. When I really need to escape, Gierach's books keep me laughing and inspired by the outdoors and the world of fly fishing. Almost done with this one, and now I just need to get my rods out of storage and wet a line.
Unbroken, by Hillenbrand. I know this historical non-fiction book has been out for a year, but finally read it and it was worth every minute. Incredible story of Olympian, castaway survivor, Japanese World War II camps, forgiveness, and resilience. Great writing, but the story reveals the best and worst of humans, cultural differences, and the ability to transcend suffering.
Transforming Worldviews, by Hiebert. I'm a third of the way through a book that takes a lot of concentration but addresses the critical issue of how people change. Written near the end of the celebrated anthropologist's life, Hiebert is at his best with helpful diagrams and insights. Reminds me of similar insights from Influencer and other books.
The Cultural Intelligence Difference, by Livermore. Enjoyed this book by an academic who makes CQ very practical. Lots of good suggestions for improving CQ as well as an overview of the importance/cost of CQ. Probably the easiest read and most applied of Livermore's four books on the topic.
The 4-Hour Workweek, by Ferriss. Another older book, but I'm always amazed at how uncommon common sense is. But Ferriss has lots of it. He provides practical hints on everything from controlling your email inbox to establishing a small business. Fun reading and gets my brainstorm going. I'm almost done but might re-read parts!
Treasure Island, by Stevenson. This book is only 125 years old, but a great fiction adventure which took my mind off everything stressful. Read it on my Kindle and enjoyed every minute of this classic.
Another Lousy Day in Paradise, by Gierach. When I really need to escape, Gierach's books keep me laughing and inspired by the outdoors and the world of fly fishing. Almost done with this one, and now I just need to get my rods out of storage and wet a line.
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