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.

Thoughts on Diversity

Back in January, NPR ran a series on diversity in the workplace on their Morning Edition program. The series highligheds how diversity has been and is viewed from different perspectives--recent history, HR, and minorities. In doing so, NPR has shown the evolution of what we understand as Diversity in organizations.

I am struck by how organizations do not clearly tie the need for diversity to the all-important bottom line without expressing a devotion to the Rainbow of diversity. Don't get me wrong--I believe that companies need to reflect the changing look of America today, but that's a personal belief grounded in my experience as a member of that minority Other. This is not an explicit business-based argument for diversity as crucial to the bottom line.

Why is diversity fundamental to lasting success in the 21st century? It is about skills. Not minority skills to effectively do the jobs of traditionally white male employees. It's about the skills of a predominantly white male business establishment to recognize the growing exceptional talent in crowds of humanity that historically have not been represented in Corporate America. This is not a mere pool of talent--it's an ocean! And, American Big Business must learn to collaborate with this ocean to remain ahead of the world in terms of innovation and leading change.

If the culture of business remains tethered to the strings of the past, we will not be able to think outside of our confined assumptions about other people and possibilities for building new partnerships, markets, and products that appeal to a world of customers within our borders and beyond. This is not about righting past wrongs, about developing more palatable workplace cultures, or adhering to compliance-based requirements--all of which are important. This is about looking at the world within our organizations differently so that we can do the tasks of growing our businesses in a way that is consistent with who we are today so that we can continue to remain relevant and ahead tomorrow.

This is where the business-based case for diversity begins.