Why we struggle to share power
From an article by Next Billion
NextBillion is an open forum for the 'development through enterprise' sector. They provide a platform for discussion of business models and innovations that address development challenges in low- and middle-income countries.
Here is an extract from one of their articles about why Western (or Global North) entrepreneurs or investors struggle to empower those in developing economies. Although observations are about American entrepreneurs or investors, many of them apply generally to those from Western (or Global North) countries. Therefore, I've substituted 'Westerners' for 'Americans' with the caveat that there could obviously be variation from the observations:
Who has the power in impact-focused enterprise? In 2018, Galen Welsch, co-founder and CEO of the Africa-based social enterprise Jibu, argued that we ask the wrong questions when we evaluate impact: It’s not about which consumer segment is served or how profitable the enterprise is. Instead, the key question should be how an enterprise localizes power.
The impact investing and broader social business space is filled with people who are driven to make a positive difference in others’ lives. But for many Westerners, and for Americans in particular, the work of truly empowering vulnerable people goes against several deeply ingrained cultural norms.
So what exactly makes it hard for Westerners to empower others? Seven suggestions:
1. We work fast.
We view time as a scarce commodity that must not be wasted. Our fast pace makes us less likely to share power with those we hope to help, because collaboration requires a significant investment of time. With our focus on tight timelines and rapid results, our natural approach doesn’t pair well with the slower work of empowerment that entails deep listening, trust building and shared decision making.
2. We work alone.
We are individualistic. Our natural bent is to work independently, to value leadership more than membership, to rely on no one. This approach reflects our love for freedom, but it often leads us to hold onto the power in our interactions with others.
3. We’re insulated.
The great majority of psychological studies have been conducted in WEIRD societies — Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic. These research results have become the norms we believe describe human nature — not understanding that many studies’ skewed results ignore important cultural differences across world regions. These 'norms' also makes us less likely to recognize cultural differences in how people politely try to say no or express concern about a proposed program — critical aspects of empowerment.
4. We keep our distance from those we’re trying to help.
Distance keeps us from feeling the impact of power differences and from remembering that all people have a desire to make their own decisions.
5. We focus on a distinct problem that needs to be solved.
Westerners, as strong individualists, are goal-oriented people who tend to focus on distinct problems. People from collectivist societies, which describes much of the Global South, tend to look more holistically at the challenges facing a group.
6. We approach problems from a place of presumed strength.
The West has had the world’s largest GDP for over a century. Economic strength is a significant part of our national identities. Why wouldn’t we want to share our business expertise to help others? But because we often don’t get proximate to understand vulnerable people’s personal priorities, and because we tend to focus narrowly on whatever economic problem we want to solve, we often assume that we have the answer to these problems on our own.
7. We prize innovation and disruption of the status quo.
Westerners value personal initiative. We push for ways to innovate, to move beyond the status quo. Global South leaders, however, highlighted a different reality: the fact that innovations generally offer both costs and benefits. The potential benefits are usually obvious to Westerners, but the costs to the user are typically far less so.
How can a Western entrepreneur working in emerging markets correct for these tendencies? It starts by considering what empowerment looks like from the perspective of people in the Global South. Here are three simple examples highlighted by Global South leaders:
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Enterprise leaders should demonstrate respect for existing local systems by engaging with school, church and/or local government leaders as they begin work within a community.
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Entrepreneurs should engage local people in defining the problem to be solved.
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Customers and locally-based employees should regularly be asked to provide feedback about the enterprise, and to help its leadership understand the significance of their feedback.
When receiving this type of advice, it’s natural for Western entrepreneurs to say, “Okay. Based on our cultural differences, I’ll change my approach and emphasize empowerment more.” But that misses the point. Our goal cannot simply be to operate more effectively on our own. We need to submit ourselves to greater local input and greater shared leadership. There are aspects of a local culture that we will never understand, and social capital that we will never, as outsiders, possess.
Read the full article here.
See also the blog: Avoiding white saviourism
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From an article by Next Billion, 06/11/2024