DEVELOPING CROSS- CULTURAL COMPETENCE

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1 DEVELOPING CROSS- CULTURAL COMPETENCE Understanding how diversity affects your working relationships with others can increase your cultural competence. Being culturally competent means having the ability to recognize and respond to the similarities and differences of people and groups. Working to achieve cultural competence will help you develop effective working relationships with people from other cultures. EMP100 1

2 Understanding Culture Developing cross cultural competence begins with an understanding of culture. Culture is a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors that members of a group or society use when dealing with their world. Culture is passed down through generations, and it helps us to determine what things mean and how they should be done. EMP100 2

3 Achieving Cultural Competence Develop cultural sensitivity Improve cross-cultural communication Develop respect for people in all cultures Develop cultural fluency Achieving cultural competence requires developing cultural sensitivity, good crosscultural communication, respect for others, and cultural fluency. Cultural sensitivity is knowing why people of other cultures act as they do. You can be culturally sensitive by avoiding actions that are likely to offend people from other cultures because of their values. You can improve your cultural competence by reducing communication barriers that result from cultural differences. You can also improve your cultural competence by respecting everyone. Respect is believing that another person s culture is as good as yours. You can work to become fluent in particular cultures to work effectively in a diverse, international environment. EMP100 3

4 Individualism vs. collectivism We did it! One way to develop cultural sensitivity is to understand the nature of value differences among cultures. Some differences exist based on values of individualism or collectivism. People who value individualism want personal choice, promote self-expression, and think independently. People with individualist views foster individual achievement. People with collectivist values are more tuned in to the organization or group than with themselves. They are more likely to promote adherence to norms, respect for authority or elders, and group consensus. People with collectivist views foster group success. EMP100 4

5 PD2 Power distance Hi Power My supervisor gave me unimportant work. Our supervisor blamed us for missing our goal. The boss does not socialize with us. Low Power My supervisor gave me a great project, which led to my promotion. Our supervisor admitted setting unrealistic goals. The boss joins us for lunch on Fridays. Another value difference is power distance, which measures how much respect culture has for authority. People in certain cultures accept that the amount of authority varies by organizational levels. In other cultures, people do not recognize a power hierarchy. Power distance affects many aspects of working relationships with supervisors. For example, a supervisor in a culture with a low power distance might delegate a good project to someone to give that person visibility within the organization. EMP100 5

6 Slide 5 PD2 Rose, I hate to see this as a bullted list, here, but I thinkg the examples need to be here. Can you show them other than as bullleted lists to be consistent with the other slides? Peg Daigle-Riley, 6/30/2005

7 Materialism vs. relationships Some cultures value the acquisition of money and material objects. In different cultures, there is an emphasis on personal relations, and great concern for the common welfare. EMP100 6

8 Degree of formality A country that values formality attaches considerable importance to tradition, ceremony, social rules, and rank. In contrast, informality refers to a casual attitude toward these same aspects of culture. Degree of formality is also reflected in the kinds of topics people are willing to discuss, the clothing they wear, and the nature of relationships between persons of different ages and status. EMP100 7

9 People from some countries have a more urgent view of time than people from other countries. This view of time as a limited resource tends to make them more impatient than people who take a more casual view of time. EMP100 8

10 Work Orientation vs. Leisure Orientation Another difference in cultural values affecting how people work is the relative importance of work to leisure time. In some countries, people work fewer hours per week and fewer weeks per year; they can invest more time participating in leisure activities. EMP100 9

11 Degree of Context QB reverse pivot to 4:30 & take the ball deep to the FB. Set up for a pass over the inside leg of the Strong side tackle. TB runs a sweep course and turns up in the strong safety area. FB takes open step with playside foot crossover on second step. Third step should square shoulders to the LOS downhill to target point (inside leg of the Guard). Key the A gap. Other value differences are associated with the context within which communication occurs. Degree of context is the extent to which someone relies on factors other than words to convey a message. In addition to using words, two people might rely on clues from the environment, past experiences together, age, gender, and so on. The message communicated already contains information that the person receiving the message already knows. For example, a conversation between two football players occurs in a high degree of context. Much of the message is already understood through shared experiences of having played the game. Consider another scenario in which a football player discusses strategy with someone who knows nothing about the game. Because this conversation occurs within a low degree of context, more information must be communicated verbally. EMP100 10

12 Religious Values Religion is another cultural difference people bring to the workplace, and religious practices often affect when people are willing to work or not work. Religious diversity can affect more companies as they move to 24/7 schedules. EMP100 11

13 Norms and Codes of Conduct Various cultural groups have norms of their own. For example, in some countries, it s considered normal behavior for people to eat with their fingers. In other countries, that might be considered bad conduct. At times, we view others as being similar to us and then become confused when their actions are different from what we expect. EMP100 12

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15 Improving CROSS-CULTURAL Communication Get to know the individual Respect everyone Use straightforward language; speak clearly Recognize differences in nonverbal communication Observe differences in etiquette Focus on communication not on accent or personal appearance Cross-cultural differences can create communication barriers. To improve communication Understand that a person who is part of a cultural group is also an individual. Instead of generalizing about the other person s characteristics and values, get to know his or her personal style. Show respect for everyone. An important component of respect is believing that, even though another person s culture is different from yours, it is just as good. Use clear, straight-forward communication. Recognize cultural differences in nonverbal communication and be aware of using gestures that might offend someone. Observe differences in etiquette. Finally, focus on what is being communicated, rather than on how someone speaks or what that person looks like. EMP100 14

16 Developing Respect for People of All Cultures You can show a healthy respect for people of all cultures by recognizing the differences they have and by accepting these people the way they are. EMP100 15

17 Developing Cultural Fluency Attend cultural training Attend diversity training Learn a foreign language Becoming fluent in other cultures requires training. Cultural training prepares workers for travel to other countries so they can understand the customs, traditions, and beliefs of other cultures. Diversity training also help people become culturally fluent by improving their ability to get along with others who are different. Learning a foreign language builds better connections with people from other cultures. A person knowing a foreign language can get more information communicating directly with another person than communicating through a translator. EMP100 16

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