Cooperative Process: A Cornerstone of Multicultural Transformation

Introduction: This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the cooperative process and its role in multicultural transformation. It supports individuals, teams, and organizations in fostering inclusive, equitable, and collaborative environments.

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Core Assumptions

The cooperative process is built on values that contrast sharply with competitive systems:

Cooperative Assumptions	Competitive Assumptions
Abundance: There is enough for everyone	Scarcity: Resources are limited
Equality: Everyone is worthy and valued	Inequality: Some are better than others
Shared Power: Information and influence are distributed	Power Hoarding: Privilege controls access
Responsibility: Each person is accountable for their needs	Disempowerment: Control is maintained by limiting others

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Cooperative Behaviors

• Full utilization of strokes: Giving, receiving, asking for, rejecting, and self-stroking (affirmation).

• Sharing resentments: Expressing feelings constructively with permission.

• Checking out fantasies and intuitions: Clarifying assumptions and perceptions.

• Accounting: Owning one's actions, feelings, and offering closure through learning.

Competitive Behaviors

• Withholding strokes: Limiting affirmation and emotional expression. For example, ignoring a colleague's contribution during a meeting or failing to acknowledge someone's effort.

• Suppressing resentments: Avoiding conflict or expressing feelings through passive aggression. For instance, giving someone the silent treatment instead of discussing a disagreement.

• Acting on assumptions: Making decisions based on unverified beliefs or stereotypes. An example would be assuming a team member is not capable of leading a project due to their age or background.

• Blaming and deflecting: Shifting responsibility to others and avoiding accountability. For example, blaming a missed deadline on a coworker without acknowledging one's own role in the delay.

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Communication Strategies

Effective communication in cooperative environments includes:

• Asking permission before sharing sensitive feedback.

• Acknowledging emotions and uncertainties.

• Practicing “both/and” thinking instead of “either/or.”

• Speaking to the grain of truth in others’ perspectives.

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Applications in Multicultural Transformation

The cooperative process supports long-term cultural change by:

• Creating inclusive systems that value all contributions.

• Replacing the “melting pot” metaphor with the “salad bowl” — honoring uniqueness within unity.

• Encouraging shared ownership of organizational goals and processes.

• Promoting fairness and equity for all groups, not just individuals.

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Why It Matters

In multicultural organization development (MCOD), the cooperative process is essential for:

• Building trust across diverse identities.

• Addressing structural “ISMs” and implicit bias.

• Moving from diversity (numbers and events) to transformation (culture and systems).

Multicultural collaboration thrives in an atmosphere of trust, cooperation, and mutual respect.