What is cultural governance?
Cultural governance is the set of methods, standards and records an organisation uses to consider relevant duties and make consistent, evidenced decisions where culture, faith, belief or community context affect the outcome.
How it compares.
These ideas work together. Each answers a different question at a different level of the organisation.
| Concept | The question it answers | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Cultural competence | Do our staff have the knowledge and skills to work well across cultures? | Individual and workforce |
| Cultural intelligence | Can people adapt their thinking and behaviour across cultural contexts? | Individual and team |
| Religious literacy | Can we recognise when faith may matter and engage accurately and respectfully? | Individual and workforce |
| Decision intelligence | How do we turn evidence, context and judgement into better decisions? | Decisions and systems |
| Cultural governance | How do we make culture and faith part of accountable, recorded organisational decisions? | Governance and assurance |
Competence, intelligence and literacy build capability. Cultural governance makes sure that capability changes decisions, and that the organisation can show it did.
Two uses of the term.
In cultural policy, “cultural governance” also describes how governments and institutions govern the arts, heritage and culture.
This page, and CultivIQ’s work, use the organisational meaning: the governance of decisions where culture, faith and community context affect people’s outcomes.
What it looks like in practice.
- A methodA consistent way to read culturally complex situations, such as the Cultural Interpreting Framework.
- StandardsAuditable criteria for specific risks, such as IPGS for anti-Muslim hostility.
- RecordsDecision records that show how culture and faith were considered.
- AssuranceReporting to boards and committees, with community insight treated as evidence.
Questions we are asked
What is cultural governance?
Cultural governance is the set of methods, standards and records an organisation uses to consider relevant duties and make consistent, evidenced decisions where culture, faith, belief or community context affect the outcome.
How is cultural governance different from cultural competence?
Cultural competence is a capability held by people. Cultural governance is the organisational system that makes sure that capability shapes decisions, and that the reasoning is recorded and reviewed.
What does decision intelligence mean here?
Decision intelligence is the discipline of turning evidence, context and judgement into better decisions. In cultural governance, it means treating community insight and cultural context as evidence, weighed alongside everything else.
Who needs cultural governance?
Any organisation making consequential decisions about people whose faith or culture can change the right response: health and care, policing, councils, universities, financial services and community organisations.
How is cultural governance evidenced?
Through decision records, standards with auditable criteria, reporting to boards and committees, and measured change in staff confidence and community trust.
Who provides cultural governance in the UK?
CultivIQ is a UK consultancy specialising in cultural governance and decision intelligence, working across healthcare, policing, local government, universities, financial services and community organisations.
Tell us about the decision you are facing.
A first conversation is free. We listen, ask one or two questions, and tell you honestly whether and how we can help.