Chapter 27. Working together for racial justice and inclusion | Section 7. Building Culturally Competent Organizations | Volume (2023)

Learn how to build culturally competent organizations.

One neighborhood was in the midst of a drastic demographic change. Its residents, once mostly of European descent, are now 30% black and 10% Hispanic. The Residents' Association, used to operating in a European cultural context, has difficulty winning over new neighbors. The association board placed notices in the local newspaper about association activities, notices about meeting times, and sending out newsletters. However, its membership has not grown or diversified.

New residents see the Neighborhood Association as an organization run by and serving European-American residents only. The association did not acknowledge or welcome the new residents in any of its materials. He made no effort to contact black and Hispanic leaders and invite them to join the neighborhood association. It continued to function as usual, not realizing that newcomers have their own forms of social organization and support for their members. For the neighborhood association to include newcomers, it needed to learn about the social organization and leadership of new groups and ways to communicate with them in culturally appropriate ways.

Every organization and its individual members must remember that change does not come easily to people. Many of us resist and are dragged into the process kicking and screaming, and that makes things difficult for everyone else. But when we learn to understand others, we increase our chances of doing better in an increasingly multicultural world. There will be situations where people on both sides of an issue or belief may be right; sometimes there may not be a correct answer to a question. It is important to approach the change process knowing that commitment, patience and understanding must be key. This takes us to the beginning of building culturally competent organizations.

What is a culturally competent organization?

What is culture?

Culture is defined as the traditions, beliefs, customs, history, folklore and institutions shared by a group of people. Culture is shared by people of the same ethnicity, language, nationality or religion. It is a system of rules that form the basis of who we are and that affect how we express ourselves as part of a group and as individuals.

We all grew up in some kind of culture. Our environment determines what we learn, how we learn it, and the rules for living with others. These rules are passed down from one generation to another and are often adapted to time and place. Rules are absorbed by children as they develop, either by word of mouth or simply by "osmosis".

Organizations have a "culture" of policies, procedures, programs and processes and embody certain values, beliefs, assumptions and customs. Organizational cultures largely mirror the dominant culture in their sense of orientation, perception, and use of time. An organizational culture may not lend itself to cultural competence, so this is where skill development comes into play. A culturally competent organization gathers knowledge about diverse groups of people and translates it into standards, policies and practices that make it all work.

What is the difference between "cultural knowledge", "cultural awareness", "cultural sensitivity" and "cultural competence"?

To beDudley Street Neighborhood Initiativein Roxbury, Massachusetts, is an example of a culturally competent organization (The President's Initiative on Race, 1999). Led by a community-elected board that reflects the diversity of the community, the organization has been able tocreate an inclusive communitythat promotes fairness and social justice for all its inhabitants.

These concepts have four levels:

• "Cultural Knowledge"it means that you know some cultural characteristics, history, values, beliefs and behaviors of another ethnic or cultural group.
• "cultural awareness"it's the next level in understanding other groups: being open to the idea of ​​changing cultural attitudes.
• "Cultural sensitivity"it is knowing that there are differences between cultures, but not assigning values ​​(better or worse, correct or incorrect) to the differences. Conflict can easily arise at this point, especially when the custom or belief in question runs counter to the idea of ​​multiculturalism. Internal conflicts (intrapersonal, interpersonal and within the organization) are likely to arise from time to time over this issue. Conflict will not always be easy to manage, but it can be facilitated if everyone keeps the organization's goals in mind.
• "Cultural competence"brings together the previous phases and adds operational efficiency. A culturally competent organization has the ability to incorporate many different behaviors, attitudes and policies into its system and work effectively in cross-cultural environments to achieve better results.

cultural competenceit is non-threatening because it recognizes and validates who people are. By focusing on the organization's culture, you eliminate the need to blame and take the blame. Because cultural competency development focuses on "how" to align policies and practices with goals, everyone is involved in the process. This "inside-out" model releases outsiders (or excluded groups) from the responsibility of making all the adjustments.

A model of cultural competence: 5 essential principles

1. Appreciate diversity

Valuing diversity means accepting and respecting differences between and within cultures. We often assume that a common culture is shared among members of racial, linguistic, and religious groups, but this cannot be true. A group can share historical and geographic experiences, but individuals can only share physical appearance, language, or spiritual beliefs. Our cultural assumptions can lead us to the wrong conclusions. As people move to new areas and merge with other cultures, a kaleidoscope of subcultures within racial groups emerges. Gender, location, and socioeconomic status can sometimes trump racial factors. For example, a Vietnamese couple might immigrate to the United States and raise their children in a suburb. As a result, children may identify much more with European-American popular culture than their parents' Vietnamese culture. Understanding such situations can lead to a better understanding of the complexity of diversity.

2. Conducting a cultural self-assessment

The most important actions to consider are usually the ones we take for granted. For example, physical distance during social interactions varies across cultures. When an employee of an organization routinely touches the arm of the person they are talking to, it can be misunderstood in some cultures. These misunderstandings can be avoided if the organization conducts a cultural self-assessment. Every organization has a culture. Surveys and discussions can help members become more aware of how the organization works and can help it adapt to other cultures. This assessment is an ongoing process towards cultural competence.

3. Understand the dynamics of difference

Many factors can influence intercultural interactions. Bias based on historical cultural experiences may explain some current attitudes. For example, indigenous peoples and the Black Fox, among other groups, have suffered discrimination and unfair treatment by dominant cultures. The distrust that arises from these experiences can be passed on to the next generations of these groups, but it is ignored within the dominant culture. An oppressed group may distrust the dominant culture, but members of the dominant culture may not realize or understand this. Organizations planning to interact with diverse cultures must be aware of these dynamics to be effective. Remember that organizations can be multigenerational. A group that worked with an ineffective and culturally incompetent organization 15 years ago may not know that the group shares the same name, but it is in for a "second life": a new team, a new board, and a new approach to community engagement. . This means that the organization has work to do and needs to be aware of these dynamics to become effective again. Being proactive rather than reactive to change leads to a synergistic organization. Anticipating change is a key dynamic in developing synergies. Synergy is more than just teamwork. It's the magic that happens when people really work together, understand each other deeply and are fully united in their beliefs and goals, at least when it comes to their work. Synergy only happens when people treat each other with respect and communicate effectively with each other.

4. Institutionalization of cultural knowledge

Cultural knowledge must be integrated into all facets of an organization. Staff must be trained and able to use the acquired knowledge effectively. Policies must address cultural diversity. Program materials should reflect positive images of all cultures.

5. Adaptation to diversity

The values, behaviors, attitudes, practices, policies and structures that enable intercultural 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 different groups.

What types of diversity exist in an organization?

There are all kinds of diversity in an organization. However, some types of diversity have a greater impact on organizations than others because of their historical significance. These types of diversity come with a history of inequality and injustice where not all people or groups were treated equally because of them. These types of diversity include:

• Marginalized or socially excluded groups
• nationality
• ethnicity
• mother tongue
• the race
• sexual gender
• sexual orientation
• social class
• Spiritual beliefs and practices
• Physical and mental performance

Other types of diversity that should be considered but tend to be less prominent are:

• Years
• educational status
• Marital status
• health condition
• Style
• skills and talents
• customs
• Ideas
• military experience
• National, regional or other geographical area
• property
• professional situation
• socioeconomic status

Why is it important to be culturally competent?

Diversity is reality. We are all connected through the increasing globalization of communications, commerce and labor practices. Changes in one part of the world affect people everywhere. With our growing diversity and interconnected issues, collaboration appears to be the best strategy for achieving our goals. As social and economic changes accelerate, organizations understand the need for cultural competence. We realize that if we don't improve our skills, we will create an organizational and cultural impasse.

Studies show that, due to different birth rates and immigration patterns, new entrants and communities will increasingly be black, immigrant, and white women.

Diversity has many benefits, such as B. A rich resource of alternative ideas on how to do things, an opportunity to connect with people of all cultures and nationalities who live in your community, helps with strategic planning for rapid response to change environmental issues and a source of hope and success in approaching our work and survival.

The benefits of developing an organization's cultural competence are:

• Increase respect and mutual understanding between those involved.
• Increases creativity in problem solving through new perspectives, ideas and strategies.
• Reduce unwanted surprises that can slow down progress.
• Increases participation and inclusion of other cultural groups.
• Increase trust and collaboration.
• Helps overcome fear of mistakes, competition or conflict. For example, when many cultures are understood and accepted, everyone generally feels more comfortable and is less likely to feel the need to look over their shoulders to ensure they are "appropriate" in the majority language.
• Promotes inclusion and equality.

When does an organization need to become culturally competent?

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 potential groups and leaders who will work together are identified, the needs of the cultural groups are identified, the organization knows what has been done previously and how it impacted the groups involved, and the organization is open to learning. and better adapt to current needs.

How do you create a culturally competent organization?

Cultural competence indicators:

• Recognize the power and influence of culture and that most organizations were built around white supremacist culture.
• Understand how each of our backgrounds affects our responses to others.
• Without assuming that all members of cultural groups share the same beliefs and practices
• Recognize how past experiences affect present interactions
• Leverage the strengths and resources of each culture in an organization
• Allocate leadership and people development resources in the area of ​​cultural awareness, sensitivity and understanding.
• Active removal of biases in policies and practices
• Ready to share power between leaders from different cultural backgrounds
• Regular assessment of the organization's cultural competence

Cultural differences can help or hinder the functioning of an organization. Creating multicultural organizations allows us to embrace differences and use them to strengthen our efforts. To achieve these goals, you need an action plan.

Action steps for acquiring cultural competence

How do you start this process? If achieving cultural competence is a top-down organizational mandate, some would argue that it is less likely. But support from above must be part of it. Getting everyone to “buy in” can be aided by a committee representing all levels of an organization. This committee can determine and facilitate next steps of action. When people from all levels of the organization 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; Consider these realities as you go through the process.

• Build support for change across the organization (who wants change and who doesn't?)
• Identify the cultural groups that will be involved (who should be involved in planning, implementing and amplifying the change?)
• Identify barriers to working with the organization (What is currently not working? What will stop or slow down?)
• Assess your current level of cultural competence (What knowledge, skills and resources can you draw on? Where are the gaps?)
• Identify the resource needed (How much funding is needed to achieve the change? Where can you find the resources?)
• Develop objectives and implementation steps and timeframes for achieving them (who can do what, when and how?).
• Commit to continually evaluating progress (measuring results) and being ready to respond to change (what does progress and success look like? What are the signs that the organization is on the right track?).

How to start building a multicultural organization

Form a committee.

This Cultural Competence Committee (CCC) in your organization should be composed of representatives from policy making, administration, service delivery and the community level. The committee can act as the main governing body for planning, implementing and assessing the organization's cultural competence.

Write a mission statement.

Make sure the mission statement commits to cultural competence as an integral part of all organization activities. The CCC should participate in the development of this statement.

Find out what similar organizations have been doing and form alliances.

Don't reinvent the wheel unless necessary. Other organizations may already have started down the road to developing and implementing culturally competent systems. Meet with these organizations and see if they will continue to work with you to develop your cultural competence. Then tailor the processes and information that meet your needs for your organization.

Use free resources.

Aggressively track and use information provided by government-funded technical assistance centers that catalog cultural competency information.

Conduct a comprehensive assessment of your organization's cultural competence.

Determine which tools best meet your organization's needs and interests. Use the assessment results to develop a long-term plan with measurable goals for incorporating culturally competent principles, policies, frameworks and practices into all aspects of your organization. This may include, but is not limited to, changes to your mission statement, policies, procedures, administration, staffing standards, service delivery practices, public relations, telecommunications and information dissemination systems, and professional development activities.

Find out what cultural groups exist in your community and whether they have access to community services.

What cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic groups exist in the area served by your organization? Then find out if these groups access the services and if they are satisfied with what they receive.

Organize a festive lunch to engage your employees in cultural competence discussions and activities.

The purpose of this meeting is to make its employees reflect on their attitudes, beliefs and values ​​in relation to cultural diversity and cultural competence. Invite a guest speaker.

Ask your employees about their personal development needs.

Find out what people in your organization perceive as human resource needs in terms of interacting with cultural groups in your area.

Allocate a portion of your budget to development programs for culturally competent people.

Analyze your budgetto see where there are opportunities for team development through participation in conferences, workshops and seminars on cultural competence. Then, commit to providing employees with ongoing training and support to build cultural competencies.

Have in mind:If you ask employees to come together to discuss their attitudes, beliefs and values ​​related to cultural diversity and competition, consider using an outside expert as a facilitator. Staff comments tend to reflect their encounters with other cultures and their prejudices. Someone might feel offended. If resentments, disagreements, or conflicts remain unresolved at the end of the meeting, it can affect the employee's job performance.

Include cultural competency requirements in job descriptions.

Cultural competency requirements should be evident from the beginning of the hiring process. Discuss the importance of cultural awareness and competence with potential employees.

Make sure your installation location is accessible and respect differences.

An organization must ensure that the facility's location, hours of operation, and staff are accessible to people with disabilities and that the facility's external appearance is respectful of different cultural groups. Please note that certain seating arrangements or decorations may be appropriate or inappropriate depending on the cultural group. Be aware of differences in communication between cultures. For example, seniors are highly respected in many racial and ethnic groups, so knowing how to show respect is important.

Gather resource materials on culturally diverse groups for your employees to use.

There are many free resources online as well as printed materials. Visit the library and talk to people from similar organizations to learn more about resources.

Build a network of natural helpers, community 'whistleblowers' and other 'experts'.

You have valuable knowledge of the cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic groups your organization serves. Effective organizations must be involved in strategic outreach and membership development. Your organization should establish ground rules that maintain a safe and stimulating atmosphere. And the framework and operating procedures you've established should strengthen equity. For example, creating leadership opportunities for everyone, especially black people and women. Your organization must engage in activities that are culturally sensitive or that directly challenge the bias and dominance of the majority culture. Before proceeding, your members must complete the process

How to deal with the dynamics of building culturally competent organizations

Gillian Kaye and Tom Wolff's book From the Ground Up! It is an excellent source of information about working in various organizations.

vision and context

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. Often, people of color find that when they are a minority in an organization, they are asked to educate others about their culture or explain racism and oppression rather than being actively involved in education. In organizations where whites are in the majority, people of color can be expected to conform to white standards and be bicultural and bilingual. This adaptation requires tremendous energy to maintain. Members of a culturally competent organization do not approach other members with stereotypical attitudes or generalize about an entire city based on a single person's experience. Include and involve people from all cultures in the process of developing a vision for the organization.

Recruitment and Public Relations

Involve different groups of people in your community when starting the organization. This can ensure that your organization's development reflects many perspectives. You can also downplay real or perceived symbolism, paternalism, and inequality between people later meeting. Remember that changing your association's appearance is just the first step in understanding and respecting all cultures. Develop and use ground rules that establish shared standards, reinforce constructive and respectful behavior, and protect against harmful behavior. Encourage and help people develop qualities such as patience, empathy, trust, tolerance and a non-judgmental attitude.

Diversity Training

Be aware of the cultural diversity of the organization. Try to understand all its dimensions and seek the participation of stakeholders to promote cultural diversity. Address myths, stereotypes, and cultural differences that stand in the way of members fully contributing.

Have in mind:
Diversity training courses are usually one-off events. Such training alone will not change an employee's behavior or an organization's practices. It is important to have other strategies that reinforce and sustain behavior and policy changes.

organizational structure and operational processes

Share the work and share the power. Create systems that ensure equal voice, accountability and visibility for all groups. The usual hierarchy with one group or leader at the helm can create a power imbalance, so create a decision-making structure where all cultural groups at all levels have a voice. Find ways to involve everyone using different types of meetings such as B. phone, mail or email dialogue. Schedule equal time for different groups to speak at meetings. Develop policies and operational programs that address and combat racism, sexism and other forms of intolerance. Criticize/self-criticize the meetings to build shared expectations, values ​​and ways of working.

Communicate

Communication is the basic tool that the organization can use to bring people together. Use inclusive and appreciative language and cite multiple sources. Learn and apply the cultural etiquette of your members. Learn to read various non-verbal behaviors. Don't assume a common understanding and knowledge of unwritten rules. Prohibit disrespectful abuse and the use of stereotypes. Respect and use personal names. Use humor appropriately: laugh at each other, not at each other. When the mood takes a sour tone, the affected person must express their feelings.

Learn to listen to what is said, not what you want to hear. Invite others to join the discussion. Don't judge people by accent or grammar. Test understanding by asking questions to make sure you understand the message. Adapt your communication style to the situation: Sometimes conflicts arise simply because of the style of a communication rather than its content.

Tips:

• Some people come from cultures that don't encourage confrontation, self-disclosure, or self-flattering. This is especially true of Asian cultures. Be sensitive to these traditions when considering activities that help people get to know each other or solve a problem. Give people from these cultures plenty of time to get comfortable.
• In some cultures, it is impolite to call someone older by name. Talk to someone from the same culture that you feel comfortable with or who is the same age as you.

Overcome language barriers:

• Arrange for bilingual translators or volunteers for meetings.
• Specify whether meetings will be bilingual. If at least half of the group speaks another language, it should be divided into smaller groups, and groups held in different languages ​​as needed. If language groups are large enough, consider holding separate meetings with the same agenda and topics covered.
• Ensure that all organization materials are produced in all languages ​​used by organization members.
• Use a multicultural vocabulary with terms and phrases that describe cultural relationships as they should be. Get ready for words to transform actions and actions to truly transform the organization.

Have in mind:

Some words may have different meanings and values ​​in different cultures. Words like "action" and "power" in some cultures remind members of threats from the police, prison camps, war, etc. A word like "wealth" usually refers to a house or bank account. Ask participants to describe the meaning of a word before guessing.

Understand “Different but similar”.

Members of your organization are likely to have fewer differences than similarities. Appreciating and accepting similarities and differences are essential to effective working relationships.

keeping the commitment

Your organization connects more with the community it serves when you publicly state that a diverse workforce is a priority. Continue to reassess the various components related to raising awareness, understanding, communicating, and promoting your culturally diverse organization.

Provide strong leadership

Develop a variety of leadership opportunities and a way for leaders to collaborate in your organization. Steering committees with different committee chairs are a good way to empower many people to act as leaders and encourage shared leadership styles. Include different types of people in leadership positions to promote the organization's multicultural vision and values. Cultivate new leadership skills by helping people gain skills in new areas. These opportunities can be structured around shared assignments and mentorship, pairing leaders with less experienced individuals, enabling skills transfer and building trust.

offer activities

Integrate aspects of different cultures into all activities, rather than holding isolated "international dinners", for example. Most activities lend themselves to a multicultural approach: social events, sports, street festivals, talent shows, campaigns, neighborhood improvement projects, demonstrations and lobbying. Consciously develop projects on which people from different cultures can work together. Hold special activities to educate everyone about different cultural topics e.g. Organized forums, conferences, panels and dialogues. If activities don't attract a mixed audience, try to organize special events that specifically cater to different groups and are led and organized by representatives of those groups. The organization or community must determine the issues and events it considers important, so don't assume they know best.

in the summer

Building culturally competent organizations means changing the way people think about other cultures, how they communicate and how they work. This means that an organization's structure, leadership, and activities must reflect many values, perspectives, styles, and priorities. Changing the face of an organization is just the first step. A culturally competent organization also emphasizes the benefits of cultural diversity, celebrates the contributions of each culture, promotes the positive outcomes of interacting with many cultures, and supports power sharing between people of different cultures. To truly transform, an organization must commit to continuing to program, measure and create a place that includes all cultures and celebrates diversity.

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Authentic community engagement to promote justice:This tool is designed to help users consciously engage with communities and prevent the inadvertent perpetuation of injustice.

Brown University Training Materials:Cultural Competence and Community Studies: Concepts and Practices for Cultural Competence🇧🇷 The Northeast Education Association offers online access to PowerPoint training slides on research ethics and cultural literacy in environmental research. These were created for professionals/students in environmental science, health and politics; and community-based research. If you are interested in receiving an electronic copy of any of the presentations, simply download the Material Request Form (found on the main Training Presentations page in Related Archives), complete the form, and email it toNEEPethics@yahoo.com.

Center for Effective Practice and Collaboration

The Center for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Servicescollects and describes resources for early childhood/early intervention and serves as an information hub for users.

Chapter 8: Respect for Diversityin "Introduction to Community Psychology," he explains cultural humility as an approach to diversity, the dimensions of diversity, the complexities of identity, and important cultural considerations.

culture is importantis an intercultural workbook developed by the Peace Corps to help new volunteers gain the knowledge and skills to work successfully and respectfully in other cultures.

Review of assumptions to increase equity:The questions in the linked document are designed to ensure that users are on the path to promoting justice by examining how an action or decision could affect the health and environment of groups of people most likely to experience adverse consequences. By testing our assumptions in different contexts, we hope to avoid unintentionally perpetuating injustices.

Evaluation of design programs to promote equal opportunities:This tool is designed to help formulate program evaluation questions and track population-level data over time.

Diversity, equity and inclusion in nonprofit organizationsby Sean Thomas-Breitfeld and Frances Kunreuther of the International Encyclopedia of Civil Society.

Fair hiring and retention guide

Thematic Interest Group for International and Intercultural Assessment, an affiliated organization of the American Evaluation Association, provides professional development opportunities for evaluators interested in cross-cultural issues.

Performance measurement to promote equity: This tool is intended to help measure whether or not an agency, program or project creates the conditions for equitable outcomes.

The Multicultural Pavilionprovides resources and dialogue for educators, students, and activists on all aspects of multicultural education.

The National Center for Cultural Competenceat Georgetown University enhances the capacity of public health and mental health programs to design, implement, and evaluate culturally and linguistically competent service delivery systems. Publications and web links available.

National Technical Assistance Center(Network bulletin)

Ohio State University Fact Sheets(working with different cultures)

Parents Help Parents, Inc..(Cultural Competence Indicators)

A SIL International fornece "the stranger's eyes”, an article that addresses cultural sensitivity with issues that can be a powerful vehicle for discussion.

Stanford Social Innovation Review:Practical ideas for improving equity and inclusion in nonprofits

Racial and Ethnic Identityby APA Style helps you follow general principles to ensure your writing language is free of bias.

Study, discussion and action on issues such as race, racism and inclusion.- a partial list of resources used and created by YusefMgeni.

Using communication to promote justice:This tool is intended to assist in planning communication strategies and provides guidance for incorporating a justice perspective into your communication efforts.

Human Resources Diversity Education Program at the University of California - San Diego.(The Cultural Competence Model)

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