Cultural Competence: Why Are You Guilty Of Ethnocentrism?

Cultural Competency

Training

Cultural Competence

• What is it?

• Why do we need it?

• Where do we get it?

According to Cross, Bazron, Dennis, and Isaacs (1989), cultural competence can be defined “as a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations”. Denboba, MCHB (1993) believes that cultural competence is a “set of values, behaviors, attitudes, and practices within a system, organization, program or among individuals and which enables them to work effectively cross culturally”.

Are you guilty of ethnocentrism?

• Do you judge other cultures because they are different

We communicate with others verbally and non-verbally many times per day. When you pass someone on the street and they smile, this non-verbal communication leads us to believe that person is happy, or being friendly. When someone smiles at you, do you smile back at them or continue on your way?

If someone from another culture smiles at you and you don’t return a smile, what impression are you giving? That you are unfriendly, uncaring, or self-absorbed? Is this the impression that we want to give people of different cultures? We usually interpret crying with sadness or loss. How would you react to someone crying? Empathize and try to comfort or ignore them as if you did not see them? Sometimes we respond to these non-verbal cues the way that we would want someone to respond to us. Non-verbal communication can also be shown as symbols or signs. Universal signs and symbols can be valuable to many cultures. The stop sign is an example of a universal sign. Most people understand it’s meaning. Another universal sign is a hand to the throat that is used as a symbol for someone that is choking. If someone from another culture used the non- verbal cue that they were choking, would you attempt to help? Or would you pretend you didn’t see their distress signal? I can only say what I feel is right in each of situations; a smile warrants a return smile, someone crying deserves my empathy, and someone choking would definitely

What did you do? Did you ask to be transferred to someone that spoke English? Or did you attempt to communicate with the customer service representative? Did you show tolerance, or impatience when it was difficult to understand them? Your reaction may determine the outcome.

• The new person on the job is of a different culture than yours. Do you see this person as taking away a job that should have been given to someone local? Or do you see this as the opportunity to make a new friend and learn about a different culture?

• You are looking for someone to do childcare in your home. You have 3 applicants-one is a teenager, one has 3 children that they want to bring along while they take care of your children, and the last applicant is of a different culture that has excellent references, but their cultural beliefs are not the same as yours. Who do you choose? My choice is the last applicant for several reasons: 1. Excellent references 2. Teaching my children that different is acceptable 3. The opportunity that comes with learning about another culture and possibly teaching other cultures about mine.

Norms (www.cnx.org,