Clashes of cultures in an international aid organisation: Information cultures, languages and the use of information systems

Abstract

International non‐governmental organisations (INGOs) bring together actors from three very different backgrounds: international aid workers, national aid workers generally from the urban middle classes and disadvantaged communities. However, the ways national aid workers negotiate their cultural encounters and use accountability tools and information systems have not been the objects of much research. In this article, we analyse how the Bangladeshi employees of an INGO with headquarters in the United Kingdom and a country branch in Bangladesh are using accountability tools and information systems developed by and for English speakers and how they are coming up with work practices that are more attuned with their cultural and linguistic preferences.

Development of a Recordkeeping Culture in Community‐Based Organisations in Bangladesh

“…When making recommendations regarding recordkeeping systems for these organisations, it is essential to take into account the local technological infrastructure, the capabilities of their members and their cultural preferences for some types of records. Frings‐Hessami and Oliver (2022a) observed that Bangladeshi employees in the Dhaka branch of an INGO preferred to ask colleagues for information rather than consult records of past activities in information systems. The cultural preference in Bangladesh for oral communication over written communication is a factor that is not favourable to the creation, management and use of records in organisations.…”

“…Whereas most of the recordkeeping literature has been concerned with assessing whether organisations were correctly managing records in accordance with legislation and best practice standards and with finding ways of improving recordkeeping practices in organisations so that they comply with laws and standards, a growing strand of research argues that to be effective and sustainable, recordkeeping practices must be adapted to the information culture of the organisations (Oliver and Foscarini, 2020; Oliver et al, 2018; Lian et al, 2022; Frings‐Hessami & Oliver, 2022a, 2022b). Recordkeeping in an organisation is impacted by the information culture of the organisation.…”

Participatory translation and anti‐racism in NGO development work: A method of co‐producing translations with community members

“…Recent literature is contributing towards raising the profile of language and issues of inclusion in development and humanitarian work (Federici & O'Brien, 2019; Frings‐Hessami & Oliver, 2022; Marais, 2014; O'Brien et al., 2018). As Tesseur (2023) argues, translation is a social justice issue given the link between language and translation policies and societal inequalities.…”