Cultural Sensitivity

Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity is being aware that cultural differences
and similarities between people exist without assigning
them a value – positive or negative, better or worse, right
or wrong.

It simply means that you are aware that people are not all
the same and that you recognize that your culture is no
better than any other culture. A challenge, if you ask me,
for members of dominant cultures.
Cultural Sensitivity
Context of Dominant Culture

In life and work environments we frequently face

situations where there is a dominant and a
secondary culture. For instance:

In the U.S. the European American is the

dominant culture whereas,

Hispanic, African American and Chinese

cultures are all secondary
Cultural Sensitivity
Context of Dominant Culture

Cultural sensitivity implies that both groups

understand and respect each other’s
characteristics.

This is always a challenge, and even more so in

large corporations where the dominant culture is
the one employees are expected to adopt.
Can Cultural
Sensitivity be taught?
The short answer is yes. There is no lack of
programs, books and trainers focused on
developing cultural sensitivity skills.

The problem is that they usually come around in

times of crisis when people are least receptive to
this kind of training. It feels more like a
punishment for something that went wrong than
an honest attempt at developing real cultural
sensitivity.
Cultural Sensitivity
Context of Dominant Culture

Many years ago, Milton Bennett developed a solid

framework to understand the various stages of
cultural sensitivity (or as he calls it “intercultural
sensitivity”) that a person may experience.

He argues that as people become more and more

culturally sensitive, they progress from having an
ethnocentric orientation to a more ethnorelative
worldview.
Cultural Sensitivity
Context of Dominant Culture

In Bennett’s words, “In general, the more

ethnocentric orientations can be seen as ways of
avoiding cultural difference, either by denying its
existence, by raising defenses against it, or by
minimizing its importance.

The more ethnorelative worldviews are ways of

seeking cultural difference, either by accepting its
importance, by adapting perspective to take it into
account, or by integrating the whole concept into a
definition of identity.”
 Development of Intercultural Sensitivity
Experience of Difference

Ethnocentric Stages Ethnorelative Stages

Minimization Integration
False sense of cultural Internalizing two or more
sensitivity, assumes we are all cultures typically takes 3+
the same. years.
Adaptation
Defense Recognition that one needs to be
Polarization of us/them. effective in interactions with
others
Denial Acceptance
First Experience is not to Growing awareness of one’s own
experience the difference. culture and recognition of the
other.
 Click the object to learn
more

STAGE OF
INTERCULT
URAL
Ethnocentric Stages
SENSITIVIT
Y
 Click the object to learn
more
Denial

STAGE OF - At this stage of cultural sensitivity, people don’t

INTERCULT
recognize cultural differences and experiences.

They believe their culture is the only “real” one

URAL and they tend to interact in homogenous groups

and to stereotype everyone else.
Ethnocentric Stages
SENSITIVIT Example: People who say, “We are all the same and I
don’t understand why we have to learn about the

Y
different groups in the company. Why don’t they just
learn how we do things in America?”
 Click the object to learn
more
Denial

STAGE OF - At the defense stage of cultural sensitivity, people

INTERCULT
recognize some differences, but see them as
negative because they assume their culture is the
most evolved, the best one.

URAL Defense
Example: People who say, “In Latin America you
Ethnocentric Stages can’t just get to the point and talk business. They want
SENSITIVIT to tell you their life story. I don’t understand why they
can’t just learn to be more direct and save everybody

Y
time.”
 Click the object to learn
more - Individuals at this stage of cultural sensitivity are
Denial
unaware that they are projecting their own cultural
values. They see their own values as superior. They
STAGE OF think that the mere awareness of cultural
differences is enough.

INTERCULT These people think we are all the same because

we are more similar than different and, in the

URAL Defense end, we all have similar physical, biological,

psychological needs etc.
Ethnocentric Stages
SENSITIVIT - They think they are wonderful because they see
people as people but they are actually denying the

Y
influence of culture in every person’s experience.
Minimiza Example: Statements such as, “In the end, we all want
tion to be liked,” or, “We are all people.”
OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY
Ethnorelative Stages

Acceptance
At this stage of cultural sensitivity people are able to shift perspectives to
understand that the same “ordinary” behavior can have different meanings in
different cultures. They are able to identify how experiences are influenced by
one’s culture.

They may not agree or even like the differences they observe but they are
interested in finding out and learning about another culture.

Example: People who approach others with genuine interest and curiosity about
how they experience the same situations. They ask questions such as, “How do
Dominicans do it?” or, “What would your family do in a situation like this?”
OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY
Ethnorelative Stages

Adaptation
Individuals who are at this stage of cultural sensitivity become more competent in
their ability to communicate with other cultures.

They can evaluate other people’s behavior from these people’s frame of
reference and can adapt behavior to fit the norms of a different culture.

Example: People who seamlessly interact with others from different cultures by
following the norms of that culture. They feel that they can respect their own
values while adapting to the values of other cultures they interact with. They use
empathy effectively.
OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY
Ethnorelative Stages

Adaptation
For instance, people who bow at the right time when interacting with Japanese
clients or naturally expect their Mexican guests forty-five minutes after the
scheduled start time of a party.
OF INTERCULTURAL SENSITIVITY
Ethnorelative Stages

Integration
People who are at this stage of cultural sensitivity are able to shift easily from one
cultural frame of reference to another. They develop empathy for other cultures.

People who are equally comfortable with one culture or another.

Example: This stage is easy to see with perfectly bilingual/bicultural individuals

who almost change their personality when they interact with one group (their
family, for instance) or another (their Anglo co-workers, for instance) but they are
equally genuine in both situations.
Cultural Sensitivity
How far should you expect individual to go regarding
their own cultural sensitivity?

- Part of answering the question of what is cultural

sensitivity is to realize that one of the main purposes of
becoming more culturally competent is to become more
effective in your relationships with colleagues, and
consumers or clients.
Click on the Icon to play the video
Summary
The people around the world they come to work
together is not mean they are same thought, belief,
and behavior but they must understand each other
and respect their culture.

Cross-cultural sensitivity there are obvious

challenges at work, diversity brings with it
opportunities for innovation and the possibility of
expanded opportunities. The managers should be
culturally sensitive and promote creativity and
motivation through flexible management to achieve
organizational goals and avoid potential risks. In an
organization as well as everyone will affect their
success by the culture of the workplace.
Thank you !