Cultural Competence
jhayes
cultural_competence16x9.pptxCultural Competence
Culture could be described very simply as the way we “do” things here
What Does Culture Give Us?
A sense of who we are (and were)
A sense of belonging
A sense of how to behave
A sense of their duty, what they must do
A sense of the values we hold
Behavior
Morale
Productivity
Patterns of responses
Attitudes toward yourself
Attitudes toward others
The World Today
If there were only 1000 people in the world
584 are in Asia
150 are in Europe
124 are in Africa
84 are in Latin America
52 are in North America
6 are in Australia and
New Zealand
Of those 1000 People
For their 1st language
165 speak Mandarin
86 speak English
83 speak Hindi/Urdu
64 speak Spanish
58 speak Russian
37 speak Arabic
507 don’t speak any of the above
China will soon have the largest number of English speakers
Do You Realize?
Technical information doubles every 2 years
½ of those in the U.S. working for a company have worked there < 5 years
Most of the top 10 jobs in high demand didn’t exist 10 years ago
Intellectual work can be done anywhere by anyone
Diversity is valued by engineering companies
What is a Global Person?
They do not assume that their
culture is always best
They realize that other cultures
don’t always want to adopt theirs
They are interested in what is going on around the world, not just things directly affecting their own culture
They know that you can easily offend and sometimes mis-communicate with those from other cultures
Group Simulation
In your culture, domestic help clean and shine shoes for visitors and the household. You are visiting a culture where this is not true, nor are they equipped or skilled at it. If you, as a visitor, asked the “help” to clean and shine your shoes, how might they react?
Discuss two reasons why they may be offended
Discuss how the “help” could handle this well
Discuss how the visitor should have handled it better
Cultural Competence Can be Learned
Knowledge of your own culture and of other cultures
Skill in relating to other cultures
Showing respect/not offending
Accurately interpreting what is said and done
Attitude toward those of other cultures
Cultural Competence Can be Difficult
“They are so irrational and illogical, I never know what to expect or where I stand.”
This is a common response when someone attempts to understand and embrace another culture:
This is because our culture may organize our experiences in different ways that are meaningful to us.
10 Keys to “Cultural Due Diligence”
1. Sense of Self and Space
humble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .macho
independent & creative . . . . cooperative & conforming
close . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . distant sense of space
structured/formal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . flexible/informal
direct & argumentative . . . . . . . . . . . subtle & “too nice”
2. Communication
Spoken & written language differences – no direct translation, regional differences
Jargon and idioms
Acceptable topics of conversation are different
Gestures are different
What Does This Mean?
3. Dress and Appearance
“Dress & blouse” OR “slacks & polo” OR “jeans & T-shirt” OR “uniform & cap”
Tattoos, piercings, jewelry, etc.
Hair cuts and hair styles
Hats, briefcase or backpack,
umbrella, headscarf, sarong,
dashiki, etc.
4. Food & Eating Habits
Delicacies around the world (form groups of two or three and name several delicacies from other cultures that you might not care for)
Silverware vs. chopsticks vs. fingers (Europeans hold the fork in a different hand)
Food – is the floor “clean” or “dirty”
Forbidden foods – meat, pork, etc.
5. Sense of Time
Seasons differ – 4 (fall winter, spring, summer) or 2 (dry and monsoon) – opposite in southern hemisphere
Time zones
What’s on time?
When do you eat?
When do you sleep?
6. Relationships
Authoritarian family figure –
matriarchal, patriarchal, etc.
Respect for elders
Who does family include?
Respect for women – shown differently
Treatment of those with disabilities
Class system – 1%/99%, Dalit/Brahmans
7. Values and Norms
Food, clothing, house, land, things, titles, money, law & order, cars, companion(s)
Generosity vs. frugality
Manners
Work ethic
Vacation – amount and when
National values (get together with 1 or 2 other people and discuss what the U.S. seems to value from your perspective. How does that differ from other cultures?)
Values and Norms cont.
How are children raised – obedient, permissive, spoiled, earn their way, etc.
Roles of husband and wife –
who provides, what type of
leadership, who handles
the finances,
Honesty – with your family,
with others in your culture,
with those outside your culture
Values and Norms cont.
What’s expected when you are born, when you marry and when you die
When is something wrong?
What’s offensive? – words, actions, gestures, modesty
What is an appropriate gift, tip, bribe?
What is being “hospitable” in a culture?
8. Beliefs and Attitudes
Religious beliefs – respect for/protection for those of other beliefs
Many gods or one god or none
Respect for traditions and holidays
Respect for other religious books and figures
Philosophies espoused by others
Taboos and myths
9. Mental Processing/Learning/ Decision Making
Slow or quick response – what do you prefer, what do you attribute to different speeds
Logical or holistic/intuitive
Abstract/conceptual vs. rote
learning/memorization/well-trained
Self taught vs. formal education
10. Work and Work Habits
What occupations are valued most?
Are occupations like artists, musicians and philosophers valued?
Who should do the work around the house, at the office?
Should we work cooperatively, individualistically?
Work incentives – how is praise conferred?
Cultural Competence Paper
Choose a culture that is unfamiliar to you and write a paper that covers 5 of the 10 “due diligence” categories. Cover two categories in greater depth first. Use and cite within your paper at least 3 references and list them at the end of your paper. See detailed instructions in the assignment.
