Why cultural competency is Important?
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| http://www.empactconsortium.com/training-course/cultural-competency/ |
Cultural Competence is a set of values, behaviors, attitudes
and practices within a system, organization, program, or among individuals that
enables them to work effectively across cultures. Cultural competence refers to
the ability to honor and respect the beliefs, language, interpersonal styles
and behaviors of children and families receiving medical care, as well as those
of the staff who are providing such care. Cultural competence is a dynamic,
ongoing developmental process that requires a long term commitment and is
achieved over time. Being culturally competent in which involves being aware of
and sensitive to other cultures, ethnicities, genders, and beliefs—can help you
establish a good rapport with them. In this case, you’d know not to shake
hands, but to bow or nod your head. People with different culture will value
your effort to understand each of them.
For me as a Teacher of the universal language, when I meet
students for the first time, I am aware that their beliefs and practices may
differ from my own. Understanding our culture is important so that we
understand how we interact with individuals from cultures that are different
from ours. This understanding helps us see our students more clearly, and shape
policies and practice in ways that will help our students to succeed. So, I try
to learn as much as I can about the students’ life and how they view the world.
It is important to understand the different cultures of my foreign students. I
can be an effective teacher if I have the ability to understand cultural
differences that make each student unique. It will be better if teachers like
me will provide an environment of respect and reciprocity of ideas and let
students learn from each other’s culture. The impact of having educators who
have the ability to challenge and motivate diverse student populations can
dramatically improve our educational system and student outcomes. That’s the
reason why Cultural competency is very important.
Cultural competency is very important not only for teachers like
me but also for members of different organization. Culture is in our minds. Cultural
competency is about understanding and working effectively with people who have
cultures that is different from ours. The advantage of using a cultural
competence approach is that you can identify the cultural competence gaps that
need targeting what members of an organization need to know in order to work
more effectively together.
We are now in a competitive world. Changes in one part of
the world affect people everywhere. Considering our increasing diversity and
interconnected problems, working together seems to be the best strategy for
accomplishing our goals. Because social and economic change is coming faster
and faster, organizations understand the need for cultural competence. There
are many benefits of cultural competency; it helps us to overcome our fear of
mistakes, competition, or conflict. For instance, by understanding and
accepting many cultures, everyone is more likely to feel more comfortable. If
they feel more comfortable in an organization or group, they will be more
creative and productive.
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| http://www.ncjfcj.org/cultural-competence |
Can it make a difference?
Building culturally competent organizations means changing
how people think about other cultures, how they communicate, and how they
operate. It means that the structure, leadership, and activities of an
organization must reflect many values, perspectives, styles, and priorities.
Changing how an organization looks is only the first step.
A culturally
competent organization also emphasizes the advantages of cultural diversity,
celebrates the contributions of each culture, encourages the positive outcomes
of interacting with many cultures, and supports the sharing of power among
people from different cultures. To really change, an organization has to commit
to continuing programming, evaluation, and the creation of a place that is
inclusive of all cultures and celebrates diversity.
In an organization, if people are culturally competent, they
tend to be more open about their opinions based on who they are. Cultural competence
is non-threatening because it acknowledges and validates who people are. It
removes the need to place blame and assume guilt because everyone is involved
in the process. Valuing diversity means accepting and respecting differences
between and within cultures so, there will never be wrong suggestions.
People from different places with different culture might
share historical and geographical experiences, it is one of the reasons why
cultural competency is very important because they can learn from one another
and they can come up with good ideas. With the use of communication members of the
organization will learn the dos and don’ts of different cultures, so they will become
more aware of the organization's way of doing things and can help it adjust to
other cultures and that could create a magic that happens when people are truly
working together; understanding one another deeply, and in total agreement
about their beliefs and goals, at least as far as their work goes. When you
recognize, respect, and value all cultures and integrate those values into the
system, culturally competent organizations can meet the needs of various
groups.
There are many benefits being in an organization in which
people have different culture because there will be a great source of
alternative ideas on how to do things, creating multicultural organizations
makes us deal with differences and use them to strengthen our efforts. This can
lead to success and survival in an organization.
We all know that “Communication” is the basic tool of an organization, we can use it to unite people. If you learn to listen for what is
being said and not what you want to hear, you will be a culturally competent
person.
References:
Building Culturally Competent Organizations Chapter 27 n.d,
retrieved from http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culturally-competent-organizations/main
Cultural Competence for Educators n.d. Teaching Strategies
retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/30402.htm
