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Cultural Competence

An Important Skill Gear up for the 21st Century

Maria Rosario T. de Guzman, Extension Specialist in Adolescence

Tonia R. Durden, Extension Specialist in Early Childhood Education

Sarah A. Taylor, Graduate Enquiry Assistant

Jackie Thousand. Guzman, Extension Educator

Kathy L. Potthoff, Extension Educator

Displaying the cultural competency behaviors of active listening, empathy, and effective engagement can help u.s.a. to create a welcoming environment and found the appreciation of similarities and differences among cultures.

Cultural competence is the power of a person to finer collaborate, work, and develop meaningful relationships with people of various cultural backgrounds. Cultural background can include the beliefs, community, and behaviors of people from various groups. Gaining cultural competence is a lifelong procedure of increasing self-awareness, developing social skills and behaviors around diversity, and gaining the ability to advocate for others. It goes across tolerance, which implies that one is simply willing to overlook differences. Instead, it includes recognizing and respecting variety through our words and actions in all contexts.

Why Is Cultural Competence Of import?

Demographic shifts and an increasingly diverse population

The U.s. has e'er had an ethnically various population, including African Americans, Native Americans, and Japanese Americans, to proper name a few. In recent years, our country has undergone dramatic shifts in its population, particularly as rapid migration has inverse its mural. For instance, the Hispanic population in the U.South. rose from approximately 12.five per centum in 1990 to over 16 percent by 2009, and is anticipated to contain 25 percent of the population by 2050. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2043, the U.Due south. volition go a "majority minority" state. This means that although the non-Hispanic white population volition yet be the biggest group, a single group will no longer make up the majority. More 50 pct of the population will identify as belonging to an ethnic minority group or whatsoever group other than non-Hispanic white.

In other words, although nosotros have ever lived in an ethnically various society, we are all operating in an increasingly culturally diverse environs where nosotros need to be able to interact, communicate, build relationships, and work finer with people from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Moreover, those of the states working with youth need to gear up them to operate in a club that will exist even more diverse in terms of faith, ethnic background, and sexual orientation.

Societies are increasingly becoming globalized

Today's world is diverse and global. Technology has made interactions across cultures around the earth a very common experience. Social networking sites, blogs, and chat rooms are letting people regularly interact across national borders. Many industries currently have a meaning amount of international collaboration, and careers in many fields increasingly entail working with people from different countries, both directly and indirectly. Children and youth today need to exist prepared to enter a workforce and developed society that spans across borders and involves interacting with people of diverse backgrounds in myriad settings.

Recognizing our increasingly globalized club, many industries and professional organizations (e.g., National Teaching Association, RAND Corporation) are emphasizing the importance of cultural competence and related skills (e.m., global awareness) as essential in today's workplace. Numerous universities are also incorporating cultural sensation and evolution as function of the college instruction experience and career preparation by creating opportunities for students to participate in international experiences. Successfully navigating our globalized society entails beingness able to sympathise and appreciate variety in its many forms, and to finer engage and communicate with people from dissimilar cultures.

Persistence of problems around cross-cultural contact, discrimination, and related challenges

Despite the fact that societies are condign more culturally diverse and globalized, issues surrounding inequality, bias, and breakdowns in intercultural communications persist. The FBI reports that in 2013, there were almost half-dozen,000 reported incidences of hate crimes in the U.s.. Of these, almost 60 pct had racial or indigenous motivations; 20 per centum were effectually sexual orientation; and 17 percent involved religion. There are too numerous bias incidents, persistent inequalities around racial and ethnic lines, and institutional policies that perpetuate inequalities at both the individual and institutional levels. One demand non look beyond recent news reports to find that ethnic tensions persist.

Discrimination and bias in various forms are hurtful all effectually

Bigotry and bias have serious consequences. For case, stereotypes and bias have been claimed as the foundation for the surge in reported incidences of police force brutality and the deaths of African Americans. A substantial body of work has also shown that victims of bias suffer in means that may be less visible—in their academics, work operation, and other domains of life—even when those biases are subtle. Research on "microaggressions" (i.e., regular or daily subtle and minor acts of bias that may exist consciously or unconsciously expressed) illustrate this point and bear witness that fifty-fifty subtle incidences can have cumulative and serious consequences for socio-emotional well-being.

Negative effects are evident non merely for the victims of biases. Recent research suggests that stereotyping, bias, and incidences of microaggressions not only bear on the victim just also contribute to a hostile environment for anybody and then that people in the broader setting (e.g., workplace) might feel invalidated or even intimidated and abused.

In addition, holding biases and prejudice also negatively affects the very persons holding those stereotyped beliefs. Experimental research shows that individuals with racial biases who interact with people of colour show increased levels of cortisol and other stress hormones. Thus, biases and stereotypes have negative effects all around—for individuals and institutions, as well as for the targets of bias and for those holding such biases.

Tips for Building Skills in Cultural Competence

Developing cultural competence is a process rather than an end indicate. But like whatsoever skill, the process of development and improvement continues, and information technology is hard to point to a particular time when one tin can say "That's information technology! I've reached information technology!" There are many ways by which we can increase our capacity to be constructive in our interactions with others. Beneath are some suggestions to motility forward in your evolution.

Increasing cultural and global knowledge

Learning more most other cultures and existence aware of current events is oftentimes fundamental in learning nearly various cultural groups' points of view. When working with people from dissimilar cultural backgrounds, it can exist useful to larn near their civilization'south practices, values, and behavior. For instance, learning about the languages spoken in their communities, child-rearing practices, or religious traditions tin can assist usa understand and interact with individuals and groups of diverse backgrounds.

Conflicts that sally between groups are ofttimes rooted in issues that may have deep historical origins. It is very helpful to understand these historical backgrounds that may help explain electric current events. For example, why practice certain words or phrases that seem neutral evoke negative reactions with specific populations (e.g., "Where are you from?" or "You lot really should be appreciative of what I give you")? Some of these phrases reverberate long histories and current experiences of oppression and thus evoke injure and other negative feelings. Injure feelings among youth may affect their power to develop trusting and potent relationships with adults, which are necessary for youths' growth and development. Similarly, some traditional events may evoke controversy every bit to their significant and whether they should celebrated at all (e.thousand., Columbus Twenty-four hour period). Regardless of what side of the debate you might marshal with, the first and about important pace is to empathize the issue.

Finally, beyond history, numerous events and policies continue to impact the individuals, families, and cultural groups with which y'all are interacting. Examples of these include wars and territorial conflicts. For those of the states working with refugees or migrants in our communities, information technology is essential we understand events that underlie their move from their habitation countries.

Fig. 1.The Art of Agile Listening

Self-assessment

Reflecting critically on our own biases and prejudices helps to develop the skills necessary to finer interact and engage with individuals whose cultural background is different than our ain. Realizing that everyone has biases is an of import step for building cultural competence. Our biases may stem from our backgrounds, experiences, or personal demographics, and these biases exist whether or not we are enlightened of them.

The trouble is when nosotros deny or fail to acknowledge our biases. Our interactions and perceptions of others may exist influenced past our biases. These biases may cause the states to inadvertently human activity in ways that are discriminatory towards others.

However, if we are aware of our biases, we tin work to diminish our own prejudices and the implications they may have in our interactions with others. In fact, holding on to the conventionalities that i is "colour-bullheaded" and unbiased is linked to unfavorable behaviors, such equally miscommunication and lack of trust across racial groups, reluctance to help others from a unlike cultural group, and less ability to detect biased behaviors. Acknowledging that we all have biases and that we all hold stereotypes is the first footstep in cultural competence.

Going beyond tolerance: Edifice skills and putting them in activity

Tolerating different cultural backgrounds is a step in the right management. Withal, tolerance is not ever optimal. In fact, tolerance usually means that you are just putting upwardly with something that is undesirable. Cultural competence goes beyond "putting up with" differences and instead involves being appreciative, affirming, and inclusive of all cultural backgrounds. For instance, to increase our cultural competence, nosotros tin can ask members of a cultural group open-minded, open-concluded questions, or ask for more than information, such as, "I would like to learn more about . . ." Additionally, making an effort to discover verbal and nonverbal deportment that certain cultures may not find appropriate (east.m., hand shaking) can establish an inclusive environment.

Overall, cultural competence has three important components: active listening, demonstrating empathy, and constructive engagement. Each is detailed in the adjacent section.

Active Listening

When was the last fourth dimension you lot engaged in an active listening conversation with someone who has vastly different experiences and beliefs than you? Actively listening to an individual allows you to learn about that person'southward civilisation and experiences. You should mind for total meaning past focusing on the content that is beingness given and concentrating on what is beingness said.

Active listening entails thinking nigh the feeling behind the content or the emotion involved. The emotion gives bear witness of the existent intent of the conversation, which will assistance you place if the person is upset, inquisitive, or acting on another emotion and allow you to reply appropriately.

In addition to listening for total meaning, you lot should also avoid mental distractions when building cultural competency through active listening. This ways listening with focus and not condign involved in mental chitchat about how yous are going to reply to a person or question. For example, if you lot believe that homosexuality is immoral and a option and you are in a debate with a friend on the legalization of same sexual activity marriage, instead of engaging in mental chitchat nearly what scientific or biblical facts you can recite to prove your perspective, the key is focusing on what is beingness said and how it is existence said.

Lastly, once you accept listened for true meaning, the other person feels understood, and you both have limited mental distractions, you will desire to make sure you inquire more questions of the other person than offer solutions. Practice not jump direct to giving people advice or offering solutions about what you lot perceive to be the trouble or their problem. The response that is effective, peculiarly if you are in a state of affairs in which you are responsible for resolving a conflict between two people, requires seeking more information and multiple perspectives first.

Empathy

The second component of cultural competency is demonstrating empathy. It is the art of seeing and feeling the state of affairs of another, walking in another person's shoes, or seeing the earth as that person sees it. Empathy involves understanding that person's perceptions and the conclusions that person draws about his or her life experiences. It does non mean you have to agree with that person'south perceptions and conclusions, but at the very to the lowest degree, you are able to see the other person'south position.

Take the previous example related to sexual orientation. A privilege of beingness heterosexual in our society is having multiple media, impress images, and amusement that portray heterosexual dear and relationships and signal it is not taboo to hug or give a peck to your girlfriend or husband while in public. These images are not as prevalent for same-sex couples. Therefore, empathy involves beingness able to understand the other person's position. To be constructive, you must engage in appropriate inquiry and dialog. It besides involves edifice relationships with an individual or item cultural group.

Engagement

The 3rd component of cultural competency is effective appointment. Engagement should be mutually beneficial and a reciprocal learning experience in which you lot larn from one another. Focus on the behaviors and the state of affairs, not the person. Value-laden statements making the individual the target should be avoided.

If the focus of the conversation or interaction is about a tradition or belief, keep the feedback within the context of that tradition or belief. Do non say, You are existence light-headed because you believe that Muslims should be able to step out of class to pray six times a day. Focus on understanding the tradition or practice. Approach the topic by saying: I understand this is role of your faith, but I do not sympathize how it effects your conventionalities in God and why you are required to pray six times a 24-hour interval. This opens up dialog in which the person can explain to you the tenants of that culture and the requirement of prayers.

Displaying the cultural competence behaviors of active listening, demonstrating empathy, and effective engagement is important when moving beyond tolerance. These 3 components will assist us to create a welcoming environs and plant the appreciation of similarities and differences among cultures.

Resources

Baumeister, R. (2011). The need- to-vest theory. Handbook of theories of social psychology, 2, 121–140.

Colby, South. L. & Ortman, J. Thousand. (2015). Current population reports: Projections of the size and composition of the U.South. Population: 2014 to 2060. Washington, DC: U.S. Census Agency.

Dovidio, J. F., Gaertner, S. Eastward., Kawakami, K., & Hodson, G. (2002). "Why can't we just get along? Interpersonal biases and interracial distrust". Cultural Diversity & Indigenous Minority Psychology 8 (two): 88–102.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (2014). Bias breakdown (annotation: News release from the Almanac Hate Criminal offence Statistics Report). Accessed from https://world wide web.fbi.gov/news/stories/2014/dec/latest-hate-crime-statistics-report-released

Mendes, West. B., Greyness, H., Mendoza-Denton, R., Major, B., & Epel, E. (2007). Why egalitarianism might exist good for your health: Physiological thriving during stressful intergroup encounters. Psychological Science, eighteen, 991–998.

Nuwer, R. (2015). When cops lose control. Scientific American Mind, 26(6), 44–51.

U.Southward. Demography Agency (2008). Hispanic population in the United States: 1970 to 2050. Accessed November 28, 2011 from http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/hispanic/hispanic_pop_presentation.html

U.S. Census Bureau (2010). The Hispanic population: 2010. Accessed November 28, 2011 from http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-04.pdf

Vescio, T. K., Gervais, S. J., Heiphetz, 50., & Bloodhart, B. (2014). The stereotypic behaviors of the powerful and their effect on the relatively powerless (pp. 247–266), in T. D. Nelson (Ed), Handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and bigotry. New York: Psychology Press.

Wong, One thousand., Derthick, A. O., David, E. J. R., Saw, A., & Okazaki, S. (2014). The what, the why, and the how: A review of racial microaggressions research in psychology. Race and Social Bug, 6, 181–200.

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