Being proactive rather than reactive about change produces a synergistic organization. Anticipating change is a basic dynamic in the development of synergy.
Synergy is more than just teamwork. It's the magic that happens when people are truly working together, understanding one another deeply, and in total agreement about their beliefs and goals, at least as far as their work goes. Synergy happens only if people treat each other with respect and effectively communicate with each other. Cultural knowledge should be integrated into every facet of an organization. Staff must be trained and be able to effectively utilize knowledge gained.
Policies should be responsive to cultural diversity. Program materials should reflect positive images of all cultures. Values, behaviors, attitudes, practices, policies, and structures that make it possible for cross-cultural communication guide a culturally competent organization. When you recognize, respect, and value all cultures and integrate those values into the system, culturally competent organizations can meet the needs of diverse groups.
There are all types of diversity in an organization. However, some types of diversity have a larger impact on organizations than others because they have historical significance. These types of diversity are associated with a history of inequity and injustice where not every person or group has been treated equally because of them. These types of diversity include:. Diversity is reality. We are all connected through the increasing globalization of communications, trade, and labor practices. Changes in one part of the world affect people everywhere.
Considering our increasing diversity and interconnected problems, working together seems to be the best strategy for accomplishing our goals. Because social and economic change is coming faster and faster, organizations are understanding the need for cultural competence. We're realizing that if we don't improve our skills we're asking for organizational and cultural gridlock. Studies show that new entrants to the workforce and communities increasingly will be people of color, immigrants, and white women because of differential birth rates and immigration patterns.
There are many benefits to diversity, such as the rich resource of alternative ideas for how to do things, the opportunity for contact with people from all cultures and nationalities that are living in your community, the aid in strategizing quick response to environmental change, and a source for hope and success in managing our work and survival.
An organization needs to become culturally competent when there is a problem or crisis, a shared vision, and a desired outcome. An organization is ready to become culturally competent when groups and potential leaders that will be collaborating have been identified, the needs of the cultural groups are identified, the organization knows what was done before and how it affected the groups involved, and the organization is open to learning and adapting to better fit current needs.
Cultural differences can either help or hurt the way an organization functions. Creating multicultural organizations makes us deal with differences and use them to strengthen our efforts.
To reach these goals you need a plan for action. How do you start this process? If achieving cultural competence is a top-down organizational mandate, some would say it's less likely to happen. But support from the top should be part of it. Getting everyone to "buy in" can be aided with a committee representing all levels in an organization.
Such a committee can establish and facilitate the following action steps. If people at all organizational levels are involved more people are likely to be influenced to become more culturally competent. But, the process can be complicated by the fact that some people don't want to be more culturally sensitive or don't understand why the issue is important; be mindful of these realities as the process ensues.
This Cultural Competence Committee CCC within your organization should have representation from policy making, administration, service delivery, and community levels.
The committee can serve as the primary governing body for planning, implementing, and evaluating organizational cultural competence. Be sure that the mission statement commits to cultural competence as an integral part of all of the organization's activities. The CCC should be involved in developing this statement. Find out what similar organizations have done and develop partnerships. Don't reinvent the wheel if you don't have to.
Other organizations may have already begun the journey toward developing and implementing culturally competent systems. Meet with these organizations, pick their brains, and see if they will continue to work with you to develop your cultural competence. Then adapt the processes and information that are consistent with your needs to your organization. Aggressively pursue and use information available from federally funded technical assistance centers that catalog information on cultural competence.
Do a comprehensive cultural competence assessment of your organization. Determine which instruments best match the needs and interests of your organization. Use the assessment results to develop a long-term plan with measurable goals and objectives to incorporate culturally competent principles, policies, structures, and practices into all aspects of your organization. Among others, this may include changes in your mission statement, policies, procedures, administration, staffing patterns, service delivery practices, outreach, telecommunications and information dissemination systems, and professional development activities.
Find out which cultural groups exist in your community and if they access community services. What are the cultural, language, racial, and ethnic groups within the area served by your organization?
Then find out if these groups access services and if they are satisfied with what they get. Have a brown bag lunch to get your staff involved in discussion and activities about cultural competence. The object of this get-together is to get your staff members to think about their attitudes, beliefs, and values related to cultural diversity and cultural competence. Invite a guest speaker.
Find out what your organization's staff members perceive as their staff development needs with regard to interacting with cultural groups in your area. Assign part of your budget to staff development programming in cultural competence. Analyze your budget to see where there are opportunities for staff development through participation in conferences, workshops, and seminars on cultural competence.
Then commit to provide ongoing staff training and support for developing cultural competence. Keep in mind: When you are asking the staff to come together to discuss their attitudes, beliefs, and values related to cultural diversity and competence, consider an outside expert facilitator. The staff members' comments will typically reflect their exposure to other cultures and their prejudices. Someone might get offended. If hurt feelings, disagreements, or conflicts are unresolved when the meeting is over, the staff members' job performance could be affected.
Cultural competency requirements should be apparent from the beginning of the hiring process. Discuss the importance of cultural awareness and competency with potential employees. Be sure your facility's location is accessible and respectful of difference. An organization should be certain that the facility's location, hours, and staffing are accessible to disabled people and that the physical appearance of the facility is respectful of different cultural groups.
Be sensitive to the fact that certain seating arrangements or decor might be appropriate or inappropriate depending upon the cultural group.
Be aware of communication differences between cultures. For example, in many racial and ethnic groups, elders are highly respected, so it is important to know how to show respect. There are many free online resources, as well as printed materials.
Visit the library and talk with people at similar organizations to learn about resources. Build a network of natural helpers, community "informants," and other "experts. They have valuable knowledge of the cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic groups served by your organization. Effective organizations must do strategic outreach and membership development.
Your organization should set ground rules that maintain a safe and nurturing atmosphere. And the structure and operating procedures that you set should reinforce equity. For example, create leadership opportunities for everyone, especially people of color and women. Your organization should engage in activities that are culturally sensitive or that directly fight bias and domination by the majority culture. Before proceeding, your members should complete. Is an excellent source of information about working in diverse organizations.
It can take time and effort for groups with historically negative relationships to trust each other and begin to work together effectively. A common problem is cultural dominance and insensitivity. Frequently, people of color find that when they are in the minority in an organization, they are asked to teach others about their culture, or to explain racism and oppression -- rather than everyone taking an active part in educating themselves. In organizations where white people are the majority, people of color may be expected to conform to white standards and to be bicultural and bilingual.
This accommodation takes enormous energy to sustain. Members of a culturally competent organization do not approach fellow members with stereotypical attitudes or generalize about an entire people based on an experience of one person. Involve and include people from all cultures in the process of developing a vision for the organization. Include diverse groups of people from your community at the organization's inception.
This can ensure that your organization's development reflects many perspectives. It can also minimize real or perceived tokenism, paternalism, and inequality among the people who join later. Recognize that changing the appearance of your membership is only the first step in understanding and respecting all cultures.
Develop and use ground rules that establish shared norms, reinforce constructive and respectful conduct, and protect against damaging behavior. Encourage and help people to develop qualities such as patience, empathy, trust, tolerance, and a nonjudgmental attitude. Become aware of the cultural diversity of the organization.
Try to understand all its dimensions and seek the commitment of those involved to nurture cultural diversity. Address the myths, stereotypes, and cultural differences that interfere with the full contribution of members. Keep in mind: Diversity trainings are typically one-time events. These trainings alone will not change a staff person's behavior or an organization's practices. It is important to have other strategies that will reinforce and sustain behavioral and policy changes.
Share the work and share the power. Create systems that ensure equity in voice, responsibility, and visibility for all groups. The usual hierarchy with a group or leader in charge may create a power inequity, so create a decision-making structure in which all cultural groups have a voice at all levels. Find ways to involve everyone using different kinds of meetings, such as dialogue by phone, mail, or e-mail. Structure equal time for different groups to speak at meetings.
Develop operational policies and programs that confront and challenge racism, sexism, and other forms of intolerance. Communication is the basic tool that the organization can use to unite people. Use inclusive and valuing language and quote diverse sources. Learn and apply the cultural etiquette of your members. Working and living in a global society requires the ability to create interactions and relationships with people who are different from oneself.
It is critical to know how to assess our cultural competency and evaluate our own cultural behaviors. Cultural competency skills can help businesses run more productively, and efficiently. Practicing cultural competency skills can also elevate your customer service skills. Exceptional customer service gives you the ability to set your business apart from your competitors and keeps your customers returning to your business. In , Kluckhohn explained culture as sharing a pattern of thinking, feeling, reacting, and problem-solving.
In , Gregory and colleagues emphasized that culture must be considered in historical, social, political, and economic contexts. Betancourt defined culture as a pattern of learned beliefs, values, and behavior that are shared within a group; it includes language, styles of communication, practices, customs, and views on roles and relationships.
Edgar Schein described a culture as "shared beliefs, values, and assumptions of a group of people who learn from one another and teach to others that their behaviors, attitudes, and perspectives are the correct ways to think, act, and feel. As a result, individuals cannot accurately perceive, interpret, explain, and predict the behavior of people with different cultural background s Muzychenko, Cultural intelligence is the ability to interpret the stranger's behavior the way the stranger's compatriots would Muzychenko For example, if employees don't feel as if their manager understands or respects their culture, employees may find it hard to trust the leader or work as a team.
Current research on cultural competence focuses on sensitivity to cross-cultural differences and the ability to adapt to other cultural environments e. Muzychenko defined cultural competence as the appropriateness and effectiveness of one's behavior in an alien cultural environment.
Wilson, Ward, and Fischer defined cultural competence as "the acquisition and maintenance of culture-specific skills" for very practical reasons:. Williams defined cultural competence as " the ability of individuals and systems to work or respond effectively across cultures in a way that acknowledges and respects the culture of the person or organization being served " p. Developing cultural competence helps us understand, communicate with, and effectively interact with people across cultures.
It gives us the ability to compare different cultures with our own and better understand the differences. Unconsciously, we bring our own cultural frame of interpretation to any situation. This is not to say that culture alone determines how one interprets a situation. One's own unique history and personality also play an important role Hofstede, Developing cross-cultural attitudes allows one to develop skills for better engaging with people from all kinds of cultures.
Cross-cultural skills demonstrated through the ability to communicate with respect; recognize others' values, accept knowledge, skills, and talents; and tolerate, engage, and celebrate the success of others. Deardorff defined competence as " the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in intercultural situations based on one's intercultural knowledge, skills, and attitudes " Deardorff, , pp. We adopted Deardorff cross-cultural attitude strategies that help you to develop and enhance one's ability to practice effective communication in intercultural situations:.
Borchum described cultural competence as " a non-linear dynamic process that is never-ending and ever expending. It is built on increases in knowledge and skill development related to its attributes " p. We synthesized and adopted Williams's and Martin and Vaughn's studies that can assist in better understanding of components of cultural competency.
These attributes will guide you in developing cultural competence:. In conclusion, our global society necessitates interactions and relationships with people who are different from oneself. By developing one's own cultural competence, productivity and efficiency may increase and in turn improve one's customer service skills. Customers who feel valued and understood will return for repeat business. Burchum, J.
Cultural competence: An evolutionary perspective. In: Nursing Forum : Vol. Yes and no. In a truly perfect world, it should not matter.
But in our not-so-perfect world, it does seem to help. They do not want to deal with the burden of having to explain their racial, ethnic or cultural backgrounds to their therapist. With the imbalance between clients of color and therapists of color, it can be impossible to find someone with the same background, however. However, this is not possible because therapists of color make up less than 10 percent of the field. As a result, there is both a need and a desire for therapists to get more training in order to better serve diverse populations.
Your email address will not be published.
0コメント