Bringing the Global Local: Program Planning and Organizational Development

Overview: This study brings together researchers and a local world affairs council in an effort to understand the ways in which a globally focused organization can build bridges and long-term community between local and global citizens. This mixed-methods study provides insight to the challenges and benefits of global community building.Proposal text: There are countless organizations working to build bridges between local communities and our global world. These efforts align with social work values to build a more social just community which recognizes the dignity and the worth of all people (NASW, 2021). Efforts to bridge local and global communities are complex and dynamic, addressing cultural differences, misconceptions, and misinterpretations. This study worked with one such agency to better understand, from key stakeholders, how best their mission to build relationships and understanding among citizens of the world may be accomplished in their local community.

Social work professors and a local world affairs council partnered together in an effort to improve upon the work of the organization focused on building bridges to global communities. The collaboration involved a mixed-method participatory research process, namely, Group Concept Mapping, aimed at gathering data to enhance programs and meaningful organization development to fulfill the mission and vision of the local organization, creating a culturally aware and respectful citizenry engaged with the world. Through this process the local organization invited stakeholders to brain-storming sessions, sharing their ideas in response to a focus prompt asking them how best the local community can “…prepare Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky communities to thrive in a 21st century global environment?” Twenty-five stakeholders engaged in the study, including board members, volunteers and partners in educational programs. A total of 3 brainstorming sessions were conducted. After content analysis, the final statement set included N = 77 unique statements. The second phase of data collection invited stakeholders back to organize the statements identified through brainstorming. Multidimensional scaling and hierarchical cluster analysis resulted in a final cluster map focusing on six key areas for program planning and organizational development. Analyses indicated a moderately high stress index of 0.3174. All clusters were rated above average on variables of Importance and Feasibility, with no significant distinction between cluster ratings. Themes from the final analyses include: partnering with traditional educational settings to incorporate global content, development and promotion of workshops on global topics, integration of foreign nationals into the local community, maintaining and building upon relationships with critical partners and general cultural awareness. While these results are not generalizable, they may be used to inform the program development of local organizations with goals to build global communities, as well as to improve upon those programs and organizations already engaged in such efforts.
Social work researchers working in partnership with local organizations, particularly those which serve to break down the barriers between communities around the globe is an excellent example of the mezzo and macro level social work practice which serves to uphold the social work values of service and dignity and respect for all persons.

National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (2021). Code of Ethics. NASW Press.