1 + 1 = 3? How does this happen? Lifting the veil of the InCA journey in the EUD Cameroun

As InCA experts who just finished their first “in situ” InCA[1] workshop after COVID we had only one thing to say: What a joy and pleasure is to facilitate in presence again! Joined by 64 participants, we embarked on this intercultural journey of deciphering behaviors in other cultural environment(s), becoming more aware of one's own feelings and reactions when interacting with another culture, emphasizing the observation and reflection skills to create more sensemaking and avoid misunderstanding.

Working across cultures, working in diverse teams, is more and more a reality. 

One participant challenged us with the question:

“What’s the difference between culture, multicultural and intercultural?” 

In short:

Culture = 1, i.e. how we do things around here ^[2],

Multicultural is like 1+1=2, working with people of different cultures together in a respectful way. 

Working interculturally is more than that: 1+1=3.  

It empowers, inspires, creates something more dynamic.  People, based on their cultural frame of reference, interact with another cultural frame of reference, creating a new way of looking at and interacting where both partners feel respected and valued. 

"How did the participants react? “

Inspiring, challenging, motivating, exciting… Too few words to describe the strong feelings that this journey allowed us to live. We realized we were more in a multicultural dynamic, while missing in a certain way the intercultural dimension. Some even realized that even if they had been exposed to different cultures, they weren’t so culturally aware. Those “AHA”-moments are crucial: what can or will I do differently?

It sounds a bit like working and living in a world of fairy tales!  But InCA isn’t that at all: it’s creating the conditions while being more culturally aware of addressing challenging topics in a respectful way, whereby all parties feel valued, heard and integrated.  Daring to be vulnerable, being able to question ones position and belief, being at ease with the not-knowing, trusting that something more sustainable may arise by interaction and co-creation.

“What other discoveries did you make during the InCA Lab?”

The InCA workshops create the opportunity to address some delicate topics and open up minds for new options.

Thus, the value of "Respect for people" and openness found their place in the exchanges, with, for example, the place of women in society: “Women’s opinions are less valued than men’s”; “Misconception about the EU position on gender and status”. 

While the focus of sub-groups was on culture, its dimensions, intercultural competences and cultural humility, the last morning brought the whole Delegation together to share learning and consolidate concrete actions for more efficiency and performance within the EUD.

How did this happen? InCA experts led a collaborative and highly interactive process that enabled to name “hot” cultural topics, identify EUD’s intercultural competencies and strengths, and define actions to promote and embody an intercultural approach both internally and externally. To ensure collective responsibility and ownership, a special InCA EUD taskforce has been set up to follow through with these actions in the months to come.

The seminar brough a dynamic of change and good mood among the colleagues who eventually discovered they were first and foremost –vulnerable- human beings, sharing same goals in life, same challenges and doubts, beyond their own cultural diversities.

What is at stake now is to build on this positive feedback and create a sustainable constructive social and working environment within the Delegation.

A glimpse of what the intercultural journey brought:^[3]

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Interested?  Ready to embark your delegation in such a surprising learning experience? Let’s connect!

To learn more about InCA programme visit one of our online communities on C4D or listen to the InCA podcast series “Cup of Tea”

Written by the InCA experts who facilitated the InCA Labs in Cameron thanks to the contribution of the colleagues in Delegations.

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[1] InCA, the Intercultural Approach Programme, has been working within the European Commission since its first successful programme in Laos in 2016. It has set up an interdisciplinary action-research framework for promoting intercultural awareness as a methodological support for improving internal working modalities and therefore external partnerships.

^[2] John Mole

^[3] Word cloud created with the final words of all the participants about their InCA journey