What You Don't Know Can't Help You

Cultural competence is a skill set that is essential for success in highly competitive markets.

The things we don't yet know about other cultures make us vulnerable and weak as individuals learn to become citizens of the world.

What we don't know can't ever help us.

The Cultural Competency Work Book is a guide to multicultural awareness. It is designed to develop cultural flexibility, the ability to view issues through new cultural lenses, cultural literacy, an understanding of how we differ, and effective communication skills.

Below are a few excerpts:

Part I: The Business Case for Cultural Competency
The arguments we use to promote cultural competency ultimately determine the size and strength of our opposition

Use arguments that "unite"
In America, too often we frame conversations regarding our racial, ethnic, and gender differences in nonproductive or ineffective ways. To meet the urgent needs of global markets, our schools and businesses must provide skills-based training that emphasizes the benefits each person will likely gain in an inclusive community: higher productivity, economic stability and security, greater creativity, and competitive advantages in the workforce.

SELLING DIVERSITY TO MASS AUDIENCES

• Higher Productivity
• Increased Effectiveness
• Improved Decision-Making
• Economic Strength
• Supports Freedom
• Strengthens

• Fairness
• Equality
• Justice
• "Doing the Right Thing"
• Fulfills legal obligations

Changing demographics mandate that American workers and students develop new core competencies:

• Able listeners who can recite and explain opposing views.
• Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people from differing cultural and religious groups (Expert communicators can write and speak in a manner that can communicate a single message to diverse audiences. Keep in mind that diverse audiences are likely to interpret the same words, statements, or phrases in many ways.)
• Able to identify and manage his or her own personal biases and preferences in the workplace
• Skillful negotiators
• Effective problem solvers who are highly skilled at conflict resolution
• Able to accurately view issues or problems through the perspective of many cultural communities
• Able to acknowledge cultural influences and admit to cultural conflicts where appropriate
• Able to utilize and leverage the full range of skills and knowledge of diverse populations
• Able to perform successful cultural audits
• Able to put issues and problems into the appropriate cultural context for audiences

• Possesses keen insights into a wide range cultural customs and history
• Understands of various cultural norms and values
• Recognizes his or her personal biases as well as institutional biases that influence decision making
• Understands how information or words are likely to be interpreted by different cultural populations

• Reduce costs: Cultural conflicts are resolved by individuals rather than by human resources and lawsuits
• Increase sales in diverse markets: Culturally competent workers can provide better products and services to diverse groups or international customers
• Improve morale and employee performances: Each person has the opportunity to fully develop his or her talents and contribute. Improves morale and productivity by implementing procedures that ensure equitable hiring, recognition, promotion, and salary treatment.
• Create safe zones and eliminates danger zones: Enhances the ability of corporations to accurately interpret and analyze facts, problems, and statistics and to eliminate blind spots
• Create more inclusive workplaces, campuses or communities where differing perspectives, opinions and beliefs are embraced.
• Develop communication strategies that provide a competitive edge in global markets

PROMOTING CULTURALLY COMPETENT COMMUNICATION

DO ASK, DON'T TELL:
Ask people how they wish for you to refer to them. Don't categorize others by race, religion, or ethnicity without seeking their input.

TRY TO USE THE SAME STANDARDS FOR ALL GROUPS:
Make sure your standards are sound. Apply them uniformly. Don't refer to grown women as girls unless you also use the term boys to describe grown men.

USING RACE OR ETHNICITY TO DESCRIBE FRIENDS OR COLLEAGUES:
Referring to a person's race in casual conversations is not necessarily a problem. Race is likely to emerge as a problem issue when a speaker views another's race or gender negatively and his or her comments reflect feelings of superiority. Never attribute one person's flaws to the entire race. For example, don't say, "I have tried so hard to work with Sarah but she is black and she won't listen!"

ACTIVE LISTENING AND LEARNING:
The best way to acquire cultural competencies is to interact socially with people from diverse cultures. Listen carefully to the words that groups choose because the choices can provide important cultural insights.

ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES:
Don't waste valuable time trying to offer excuses. Admit you were wrong. Learn the lessons. Move on.

THE GOLDEN RULE:
Treat everyone the same way you would want them to treat the person you love most in the world.

DON'T GENERALIZE:
When we make sweeping generalizations about people (Example: You Know How They Are), listeners may conclude that we lack cultural literacy and social intelligence