On Cultural Competence

1. Why is cultural competence important?

Cultural competence is the ability of a person to effectively interact, work, and
develop meaningful relationships with people of various cultural backgrounds. It
encourages the acknowledgement and acceptance of differences in appearance,
behavior and culture. Gaining cultural competence is a lifelong process of
increasing self-awareness, developing social skills and behaviors around
diversity, and gaining the ability to advocate for others. It goes beyond tolerance,
which implies that one is simply willing to overlook differences. Instead, it
includes recognizing and respecting diversity through our words and actions in all
contexts. Today’s world is diverse and global. Technology has made interactions
across cultures around the world a very common experience. Recognizing our
increasingly globalized society, many industries and professional organizations
are emphasizing the importance of cultural competence as essential in today’s
workplace. 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.

2. How is culture like an iceberg?

When we see an iceberg, the portion which is visible above water is, in reality,
only a small piece of a much larger whole. Similarly, people often think of culture
as the numerous observable characteristics of a group that we can see with our
eyes, be it their food, dances, music, arts, or greeting rituals. The reality,
however, is that these are merely an external manifestation of the deeper and
broader components of culture – the complex ideas and deeply-held preferences
and priorities known as attitudes and values. Below the water line are a culture’s
core values. These are primarily learned ideas of what is good, right, desirable,
and acceptable, as well as what is bad, wrong, undesirable, and unacceptable. In
many cases, different cultural groups share the similar core values (such as
“honesty”, or “respect”, or “family”), but these are often interpreted differently in
different situations and incorporated in unique ways into specific attitudes we
apply in daily situations. Ultimately, these internal forces become visible to the
casual observer in the form of observable behaviors, such as the words we use,
the way we act, the laws we enact, and the ways we communicate with each
other. So, like an iceberg, there are things that we can see and describe easily…
but there are also many deeply rooted ideas that we can only understand by
analyzing values, studying institutions, and in many cases, reflecting on our own
core values.

3. Briefly explain each level of cultural competence.

Cross (1989) states that cultural competence is a complex framework, and that
there is a tendency for systems and organizations to want a textbook solution, a
quick fix, a recipe, or a “how to”, step-by-step approach. The complexity of
achieving cultural competence does not allow for such an easy solution. The
Cross framework emphasizes that the process of achieving cultural competency
 occurs along a continuum and sets forth six stages including: 1) cultural
destructiveness, 2) cultural incapacity, 3) cultural blindness, 4) cultural pre-
competence, 5) cultural competency, and 6) cultural proficiency. Cultural
destructiveness is characterized by attitudes, policies, structures, and practices
within a system or organization that are destructive to a cultural group. Cultural
incapacity is the lack of capacity of systems and organizations to respond
effectively to the needs, interests, and preferences of culturally and linguistically
diverse groups. Cultural blindness is an expressed philosophy of viewing and
treating all people as the same. Cultural pre-competence is a level of awareness
within systems or organizations of their strengths and areas for growth to
respond effectively to culturally and linguistically diverse populations. Cultural
competence means to demonstrate an acceptance and respect for cultural
differences. Cultural proficiency is when systems and organizations hold culture
in high esteem and uses this as a foundation to guide all of their endeavors.

4. Why is cultural competence important in understanding and appreciating culture?

Cultural competence is about our will and actions to build understanding between
people, to be respectful and open to different cultural perspectives, strengthen
cultural security and work towards equality in opportunity. Relationship building is
fundamental to cultural competence and is based on the foundations of
understanding each other’s expectations and attitudes, and subsequently
building on the strength of each other’s knowledge, using a wide range of
community members and resources to build on their understandings. Underlying
cultural competence are the principles of trust, respect for diversity, equity,
fairness, and social justice. Culture is the fundamental building block of identity
and the development of a strong cultural identity is essential to an individual’s
healthy sense of who they are and where they belong. It is more than being
respectful of the cultures represented in the service or even the community. It is
much more than awareness of cultural differences, more than knowledge of the
customs and values of those different to our own. Cultural competence is the
ability to understand, communicate with and effectively interact with people
across cultures. Principles relevant to cultural competence include fostering
secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships, partnerships, high expectations,
and equity and respect for diversity. We are all born belonging to a culture, which
is not only influenced by traditional practices, heritage, and ancestral knowledge,
but also by the experiences, values and beliefs of individual families and
communities. Respecting diversity means valuing and reflecting the practices,
values and beliefs of families and communities.