Cultural Competency

How is it carried out in organizations?

How would you define cultural competency?

What do you think are the characteristics of culturally competent organizations?

To truly describe how organizations function in culturally specific ways, we must broaden our definition of culture.

Many demographic groups may have their own specific culture. Culture can include norms, language, slang, symbols, music, behaviors, the meaning of certain behavior, and patterns of interaction or exchange. These behaviors and practices are distinct from those of the dominant culture. Consequently, the term culture can refer to any subpopulation group that identifies itself as different from the dominant culture: persons with disabilities, gay men & lesbians, the Amish, goths, nudists, etc.

We can define cultural competency in the following way:

Social workers are culturally competent if they obtain knowledge about a variety of cultural groups, understand, the concept of cultural identity, be open to different perspectives, and be able to communicate across these differences (Gutierrez & Alvarez, 2000). The ability of organizations and systems to function effectively in cross-cultural situations (British Columbia Ministry for Children & Families, 2003, p. 1). Cultural competency is an engaging, life-long journey of expanding your horizons, thinking critically about power and oppression, and behaving appropriately (American College Health Association, 2003, p. 1).

Cultural Competency should occur in at least 4 levels in organizations

Individual practitioner Management staff (commitment of organizational leaders) Organization as a whole Linkages between the organization and its external environment (local community; service users; other organizations; political system)

At the practitioner level, we use ethnographic interviews to find out about someones culture.
Ethnographic interviews are:

Usually unstructured. May be similar to a casual conversation. Focus on a persons personal history, experiences, values, and behaviors as they pertain to membership in a specific culture. Are a form of qualitative research. Can include oral histories or narratives. Can take place in a group format. Require that the research gain the trust of the people he/she interviews. Dont usually require the use of a standard questionnaire, but research may prepare a set of open-ended questions in advance.

We can also use the following methods for finding out about the cultural backgrounds of service users.

Cultural guides Establish linkages with community leaders Staff should attend cultural events in the community The organization can sponsor culturally specific events or multi-cultural gatherings Hiring and retaining a diverse workforce Provide on-going staff training Involving service users in organization governance, program planning, and evaluation Service user controlled service delivery (for example, ethnic social service agencies or feminist organizations).

Cultural Competency Action List (American College Health Association) The culturally competent practitioner is:

Aware of own cultural heritage and values. Aware of how his/her own biases affect cultural perceptions. Comfortable with cultural difference. Sensitive to circumstances that may require you to seek a cultural guide. Demonstrate a good understanding of social power structure and how nondominate cultural groups are treated. Acquire knowledge and information about the particular group she/he is working with. Recognize institutional barriers that prevent members of disadvantaged groups from using organization resources. Send and receive verbal and nonverbal messages accurately and appropriately. Intervene appropriately and advocate on behalf of individuals from different cultures.

Organization Managers of Culturally Competent Organizations must be:

Committed to the principles of cultural diversity, empowerment, and social justice. Role models for their staff Inspire staff members to adopt and practice these principles Work with their nonprofit board or government supervisors to establish internal policies and procedures to support diversity. Hire, train, and retain diverse staff Establish behavioral objectives for appropriate staff behavior. Monitor staff and organizational behavior and diversity outcomes

Kahn (1991) argues that organizations become culturally competent when:

They have organization structures that foster equity in in resource sharing, program development, and administration. Recruit people from differing ethnic backgrounds. Provide on-going training and education about race and cultural issues (for clients and staff). Plan cultural and social activities that are culturally appropriate and inclusive of all organization participants.

National Mental Health Association recommends that organizations should.

Have a cultural competency plan Form advisory boards with diverse members. Provide applications and other materials in different languages and Braille; pre-test material to make sure its usable. Provide translation services (including sign language). Provide culturally acceptable treatments. Providing cultural competency training. Make sure service providers have specialized assessment and treatment skills needed to treat diverse clients (ethnicity and sexual orientation).

Organization typology for supporting diversity (Perlmutter, Bailey, & Netting, 2001)

Level 1 token equal employment opportunity. Women and persons of color are hired, but have no power or authority. Level 2 Affirmative Action organizations. Hires women and persons of color. Prohibits sexist and racist behavior. Has a glass ceiling that limits promotion among members of these groups. Level 3 self-renewing organization. Systematically assesses its own values, behaviors, and symbols. Uses findings to design management strategies that increase productivity. Finds ways to incorporate different perspectives into the organization culture. Level 4 multicultural organization. Supports a culture of diversity through hiring and promotion. Prohibits all discrimination, sets new standards for social behavior within the organization. Seeks alliances with organizations of similar values and behaviors.

Another typology for understanding the degree of cultural competency in organizations was developed by Terry Cross (2001):

(Lowest level) Cultural destructiveness. Organizational policies

are designed to destroy the cultural orientation of the people who receive services (for example, English-only boarding schools for Native American children). Cultural blindness. The organization is committed to treating all clients the same and ignores specific needs of various cultural groups. Values and organizational practices tend to be only those of the dominant culture. Cultural pre-competence. Adapts services to the cultural norms of service users and tries to hire unbiased employees. Advanced cultural competency. Staff actively seeks new knowledge to develop innovative services and advocates for the adoption of cultural appropriate policies and services. Services are consumer-oriented and strengths-based. Service users are involved in organizational decision-making.

Dr. Roger Simpson and other authors (Nagda et al., 1999; Gutierrez et al., 2005: Hyde, 2003; 2004) writing on cultural competency in social work practice identify four levels of cultural competency in social work practice:

Ethnocentric: incorporates only the values and practices of the dominate culture. Ethnic-sensitive: practitioners are to respect and tolerate the values of others.

However, this method does not require social workers examine issues of power and oppression nor does it require that social workers actually do anything about oppression or oppressive social service policies or institutional structures. Ethnoconscious practice: The social worker or the agency focuses on one ethnic group and incorporates practice methods that are developed exclusively or members of this group. Multicultural practice: Social workers providing cross-culture services or agencies serving diverse clientele utilize a variety of culturally appropriate service delivery methods to serve their clientele. Such organizations incorporate social justice principles into the service delivery process and assist service users in obtaining resources and political power by engaging in organization decision-making and social action.

One management method to enhance diversity is Multicultural Organization Development. MCOD practices include:

Explicit commitment to diversity and empowerment among organizational leaders. A strategic plan to increase cultural competency. Diversity hiring. On-going efforts to maintain a diverse workforce. Recognition of issues in the organization related to the interaction of power/status and gender/culture. (For example, staff members may be assigned a mentor) Staff training in cultural competency Evaluating the implementation of the cultural competency plan as well as the outcomes produced.

Outcome Evaluation

Measure staff perceptions of their own skills. Measuring behavioral changes in individuals as well as in the organization Measuring changes in service user perceptions of the organization.

References
Lee, E. (2003). Bridges to wellness. Retrieved on February 24, 2003 from http://www.serve.com/Wellness/culture.html National Mental Health Association. (2003). Cultural competency in mental health systems. Retrieved on February 24, 2003 from http://www.nmha.org/position/ps6019a.cfm. North, C. (2003). The ethnographic interview. Retrieved on February 24, 2003 from http://www.umaryland.edu/cmchswe/html/ethnointerview.html. Permultter, F., Bailey, D., & Netting, E. (2001). Managing human resources in the human services. New York: Oxford University Press. (Chapter 6, Supporting diversity). .