Strengthening Canadian Indigenous: Relationships and Decision-Making Processes

This book is a professional development framework guide to help Indigenous communities, and agencies that interact and provided services or governance for Indigenous people, make better decisions that are based on the understanding of the underlying value systems of holistic cultures and hierarchial cultures.

This book offers suggested processes and templates for incorporating aspects of these cultures in decision making and governance to increase better communication among stakeholders and overall effective management of the organization. The templates are intended for use to assist elected Indigenous leaders practise governance that is aligned with the core values of their nation, yet considerate of the values of within hierarchial cultures necessary for mutual understanding with external governments and organizations. Other templates are intended to be used by policy makers and service providers for Indigenous people, in order to facilitate better communication and/or application and reporting processes that are considerate of holistic value systems. Each template can be customed to meet the specific criteria for each community or organization.

Organizations that could benefit from these suggested approaches, that are based on theory and practice, include but are not limited to: Elected members of federal, provincial, and territorial governments and their employees; Chief and Councils and their management staff; Hereditaty leaders and their affiliates; not for profit organizations affiliated with Indigenous people; universities and higher education institutions; and anyone who seeks to understand the differences in value systems that often results in tension and misunderstandings.

This book offers an appreciation of the different values experienced in Indigenous and non-Indigenous thinking and sets the foundation for reconciling differences between the two cultures within the workplace and inter-governmental relations.