Why cultural competence

In other cultures, formality is valued and is a demonstration of respect. Encourage employees to come to you if they are having problems with cultural differences.

The earlier these issues are addressed, the less negative impact you will have on productivity. Allow each team member to express their concerns in equal measure to best understand all perspectives and work through the conflict successfully.

Cultural conflicts are generally minimized when goal-oriented team environments are prioritized. Cross-culture team-building is essential to benefiting from cultural diversity.

Related: 6 Ideas for Team Building Activities. At a minimum, it requires that you treat every conversation as a learning opportunity. Find jobs. Company reviews. Find salaries. Upload your resume. Sign in. Career Development. What is cultural competence? Why cultural competence is advantageous in the workplace. Increased appreciation for other perspectives.

Increased creativity. Improved listening. Increased empathy and adaptability. Tips for improving cultural competence in the workplace. Train for global citizenship. The United States has always had an ethnically diverse population, including African Americans, Native Americans, and Japanese Americans, to name a few. In recent years, our country has undergone dramatic shifts in its population, particularly as rapid migration has changed its landscape.

For example, the Hispanic population in the U. The U. Census Bureau estimates that by , the U. This means that although the non-Hispanic white population will still be the biggest group, a single group will no longer make up the majority. More than 50 percent of the population will identify as belonging to an ethnic minority group or any group other than non-Hispanic white.

In other words, although we have always lived in an ethnically diverse society, we are all operating in an increasingly culturally diverse environment where we need to be able to interact, communicate, build relationships, and work effectively with people from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Moreover, those of us working with youth need to prepare them to operate in a society that will be even more diverse in terms of religion, ethnic background, and sexual orientation. Technology has made interactions across cultures around the world a very common experience. Social networking sites, blogs, and chat rooms are letting people regularly interact across national borders.

Many industries currently have a significant amount of international collaboration, and careers in many fields increasingly entail working with people from different countries, both directly and indirectly. Children and youth today need to be prepared to enter a workforce and adult society that spans across borders and involves interacting with people of diverse backgrounds in myriad settings. Recognizing our increasingly globalized society, many industries and professional organizations e.

Numerous universities are also incorporating cultural awareness and development as part of the higher education experience and career preparation by creating opportunities for students to participate in international experiences. Successfully navigating our globalized society entails being able to understand and appreciate diversity in its many forms, and to effectively engage and communicate with people from different cultures. Despite the fact that societies are becoming more culturally diverse and globalized, issues surrounding inequality, bias, and breakdowns in intercultural communications persist.

The FBI reports that in , there were almost 6, reported incidences of hate crimes in the United States. Of these, almost 60 percent had racial or ethnic motivations; 20 percent were around sexual orientation; and 17 percent involved religion. There are also numerous bias incidents, persistent inequalities around racial and ethnic lines, and institutional policies that perpetuate inequalities at both the individual and institutional levels.

One need not look beyond recent news reports to find that ethnic tensions persist. Discrimination and bias have serious consequences. For example, stereotypes and bias have been claimed as the foundation for the surge in reported incidences of police brutality and the deaths of African Americans.

A substantial body of work has also shown that victims of bias suffer in ways that may be less visible—in their academics, work performance, and other domains of life—even when those biases are subtle. Negative effects are evident not just for the victims of biases. Recent research suggests that stereotyping, bias, and incidences of microaggressions not only affect the victim but also contribute to a hostile environment for everyone so that people in the broader setting e.

In addition, holding biases and prejudice also negatively affects the very persons holding those stereotyped beliefs. Experimental research shows that individuals with racial biases who interact with people of color show increased levels of cortisol and other stress hormones.

Thus, biases and stereotypes have negative effects all around—for individuals and institutions, as well as for the targets of bias and for those holding such biases.

Developing cultural competence is a process rather than an end point. Below are some suggestions to move forward in your development. For example, learning about the languages spoken in their communities, child-rearing practices, or religious traditions can help us understand and interact with individuals and groups of various backgrounds. Conflicts that emerge between groups are often rooted in issues that may have deep historical origins. It is very helpful to understand these historical backgrounds that may help explain current events.

For example, why do certain words or phrases that seem neutral evoke negative reactions with specific populations e. Some of these phrases reflect long histories and current experiences of oppression and thus evoke hurt and other negative feelings.

Similarly, some traditional events may evoke controversy as to their meaning and whether they should celebrated at all e. Regardless of what side of the debate you might align with, the first and most important step is to understand the issue. Finally, beyond history, numerous events and policies continue to impact the individuals, families, and cultural groups with which you are interacting.

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Relationships are a powerful part of who we are. They can help make us feel like we belong, like we have something to contribute to this world. What Is Cultural Competence? To have multicultural competence, you need: A basic understanding of your own culture. A willingness to learn about the cultural practices and worldview of others.

A positive attitude toward cultural differences and a readiness to accept and respect those differences. Why Is Cultural Competence Important? Cultural Competence Examples Cultural competence is necessary in every aspect of life—personal or professional.

Here are a few examples that demonstrate its importance: Cultural Competency in Medicine Cultural competency is incredibly important in the field of medicine. The medical team was, unsurprisingly, troubled by this behavior, so they sought the advice of a nurse familiar with Vietnamese culture… Then they understood.

What appeared to be the absence of care for their child was, in fact, a difficult act of love. Before long, Kenneth began to come alive. How to Be Culturally Competent The best way to grow in cultural competence is to immerse yourself in learning about other cultures. Here are a few ideas that will help improve your cultural competence: 1. Pay attention. Use your imagination.

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