Can Cultural Competence be Taught?

Can we really learn cultural competence as adults? With all the complexities of life in a down economy and fears about job security, can we really spend valuable time and energy learning to be "competent"?

The simple answer is, yes. We can learn to pause as we feel the color of bias wash over our thoughts when we begin to feel the usual twinge of frustration. Later, we can ask ourselves where these feelings come from, and we can begin to dig further to find the true sources of our anguish. In terms of gaining knowledge about other people, we can make an effort to learn about other people and places. And, lastly, we can be deliberate about how we speak and listen by learning effective communication skills. What is key to all of these endeavors is an essential spirit of openness, a desire to learn about ourselves and our triggers while learning about others.

Competence is an ongoing unfolding of our true capacities. It takes time and work, and the process doesn't end. As we become more comfortable, confident, and proficient in our dealings with others in varieties of situations, we feel a sense of success and satisfaction. This success will beget more success in ever challenging situations. Sure, we will make mistakes, as will others. But, we'll have the skills to recoup and move on; we'll learn more about our own abilities.

Cultural competence teaches us these valuable skills of self-knowledge, knowledge about others, and key interpersonal skills that allow us to express ourselves, learn, and work effectively in an ever changing work environment.

This essential skill set can be taught. It's never too late to begin the process of becoming more effective.

What is Cultural Competence?

Cultural differences are difficult to talk about. We feel uncomfortable for seeming intolerant , or racist even, just because we have difficulties with people who are different from us. Efforts to bridge the communication divide often focus on understanding communication styles, eye contact, physical distance, etc . There are at least ten cultural variables that contribute to the way people of any culture experience the world, think, and communicate. It is important to understand that these variables exist, to have expectations of how different people relate based on these ten variables, and to adjust our communication and behavior accordingly.

But, this is not the full extent of cultural competence. We need to have an understanding of ourselves and the ideas that shape our worldview. We must have a grasp of own biases and prejudices. Everyone has them; but, we must acknowledge them and know where they come from. It's crucial for us to see that our worldview shapes our biases, which in turn shape the knowledge that we gather about people who are different from us. And, this knowledge base determines how we relate to others. This is a cycle of thought and behavior with parts that feed each other. Cultural competence is about understanding this cycle and upgrading our skills to meet the demands of the 21st-century workplace.

Cultural competence requires us to be competent in our understanding of ourselves as much as competent in our willingness to view others from perspectives beyond the limits of our own vision. Without this, we are merely doing window dressing on our own thought patterns and habits.

If cultural differences and frequent misunderstandings make us uncomfortable, then we need to address the discomfort as well as take steps to be effective . This dynamic of discomfort cannot be resolved with cultural knowledge. Our discomfort is about our mental models and our assumptions of what differences mean to us.

We need to hold a mirror up to ourselves and ask difficult questions of ourselves as we ask others to change their ways to fit into our work culture. Change is a two-way street that is not easy in either direction.