1. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
− We’re All Cultural Beings
Jeff Painter, BS
Director, Diversity Counts Inc.
© 2006. Siwash Native Resources

2. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
The world is filled with wounded people who are
doing the best they can with the resources they
have available to them.
Ilana Shapiro, 2002
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3. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Today’s Objectives
• Introduce “Cultural Competence” as a Concept
– The “Ideal”
– The “Continuum”
– Their Barriers
– Our Guiding Principles
• Helping culturally-different people to “fit-in”
• Goal-setting
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4. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
definitions
Cultural competence: the state of being capable of functioning
effectively in the context of cultural diversity.
Cross, T.L. et. al. 1989
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5. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
definitions
Organizational cultural competence: a congruent set of policies,
structures, practices, and attitudes which come together in an
organization and enable the organization to effectively work in
cross-cultural situations.
Cross, T.L. et. al. 1989
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6. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
definitions
‘Culture’ refers to integrated patterns of human behavior
that include the language, thoughts, communications, actions,
customs, beliefs, values, and institutions of racial, ethnic,
religious, or social groups.
‘Competence’ implies having the capacity to function effectively
as an individual and an organization within the context of the
cultural beliefs, behaviors, and needs presented by consumers
and their communities.
Office of Minority Health, 2001. Based on Cross, 1989
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7. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Culture
An integrated pattern of learned core values,
beliefs, norms, behaviors and customs that are
shared and transmitted by a specific group of
people. Some aspects of culture, such as food,
clothing, modes of production and behaviors, are
visible. Major aspects of culture, such as values,
gender role definitions, health beliefs and
worldview, are not visible. Gilbert, M. Jean. (Ed.), 2003.
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8. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Circles of Culture
Secondary
Characteristics
Primary
Characteristics
religion level of acculturation
socioeconomic class learning style
education Circles of Culture
race, gender, ethnicity, age, language, accent
sexual orientation,
physical/mental ability
geographic location, time orientation,
appearance, marital status, parental status,
military status, immigration status
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9. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Circles of Culture
Secondary
Characteristics
“One Nation
religion
Under God” Primary
Characteristics
level of acculturation
socioeconomic class learning style
education Circles of Culture
race, gender, ethnicity, age, language, accent
sexual orientation,
This is what unites us all
physical/mental ability
as emigrants with
our own cultures ...
as Americans
And our culture time orientation,
geographic location,
appearance, marital status, parental status,
military status, immigration status
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10. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence:
The Myths
• Partnerships between service providers and their
clients/customers are desirable.
Truth: Our clients expect us to be the experts and give them
our expert opinions.
• Values and philosophies should be aligned with your
daily practices.
Truth: Experts must use their best information and make
rationale decisions that will, sometimes, be very difficult.
• Equitable services are “effective” services.
Truth: Individual equity takes away resources from others,
making equity INEQUITABLE. Equity would require cuts in
services rendering the remaining services “ineffective.”
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11. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
~ Mandates, Ethics, & Rules ~
• Multiple Title Programs in Education
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
• CLAS Standards
• All Govt. Agencies & recipients of govt funding
• Americans With Disabilities Act
• Multiple Ethical Standards
• State Rules & Statutes
• Accrediting Bodies
• and many others ……..
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12. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
Laws and Rules can be interpreted too
many ways.
We need to do what we’ve always
done ... because we know best.
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13. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Culturally Competent
Service Providers …
… and the agencies that employ them are specially trained in specific
behaviors, attitudes, and policies that recognize, respect, and value the
uniqueness of individuals and groups whose cultures are different from
those associated with mainstream America. Nevertheless, cultural
competence as a service delivery approach can be applied to systems that
serve all persons, because everyone in the society has a culture and is
part of several subcultures, including those related to gender, age, income
level, geographic region, neighborhood, sexual orientation, religion, and
physical ability.
NMHIC, 1996. Based on Cross, 1989.
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14. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Culturally Competent
Service Providers …
… and the agencies that employ them are specially trained in specific
behaviors, attitudes, and policies that recognize, respect, and value the
uniqueness of individuals and groups whose cultures are different from
… everyone in the society
those associated with mainstream America. Nevertheless, cultural
competence as a service delivery approach can be applied to systems that
has a culture …
serve all persons, because everyone in the society has a culture and is
part of several subcultures, including those related to gender, age, income
level, geographic region, neighborhood, sexual orientation, religion, and
physical ability.
NMHIC, 1996. Based on Cross, 1989.
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15. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competence
• An ideal; a concept; ... a luxury
• We’re all “different”
• The “Melting Pot”
• Goals and Plans within organizations
• We all have Diverse Values and Diverse behaviors
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16. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Equity vs. Equality
“Equity” = Special
“Equality” = Same
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17. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Cultural
Desires Realities
• Staff that look like me • Staff that look like us
• Staff understand my • Staff know what I
needs & wants really need
• Language I understand • Language I will have to use
and prefer to succeed - English
• Methods/Services • Methods/Services do the
cater to me most for the most
• Good Results/Outcomes • Good Enough Results/Outcomes
• Involve my community • Involve the larger community,
the majority
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18. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Equity Statement: Example
Equity will be a reality when children from minority
racial, cultural, socio-economic, and linguistic
backgrounds look and learn the same as do the rest of
our children.
Basakwa Educational Equity Task Force
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19. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
The Tools of
Cultural Competence
• The “Ideal”
What we could do if we had unlimited resources -- vs. Reality
• The “Continuum”
Language for describing ideals for growth
• Their Barriers
Anticipating & responding to resistance to integration
• Our Guiding Principles
Doing the most ... for the MOST
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20. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
The “Ideal”
Cultural Competence would have organizations:
1. Value diversity
Culture is a problem to be solved, but we have diverse ways of
handling it.
2. Be aware of one’s own cultural values
Do you value “success”, “America”, and “cooperation”?.
3. Understand the dynamics of difference
Remember -- we’re ALL different. But, we need to work together to
overcome our differences.
We are ALL DIFFERENT, and that’s how we’re really ALL ALIKE.
based on Cross, 1989; NCCC,
2003.
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21. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
The “Ideal”
Cultural Competence would have organizations:
4. Develop and use cultural knowledge
It’s important to know how those people think, so we can overcome
primitive ideas and help them to fit in.
4. Adapt to culture by having culture adapt to us
Services are designed to do the best for the most. The more we can
overcome our differences and become alike, the more we can do for
more people like us.
The first four elements mean little if we do not work with people in a way
that fits them into our culture and make the most of existing resources.
When our culture is their culture, and we all have the same goals, we all agree.
based on Cross, 1989; NCCC,
2003.
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22. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
The Cultural Competence
“Continuum”
There are six points along the continuum that
indicate unique ways of integrating differences.
These provide a common language for describing
both healthy and non-productive policies, practices and
individual behaviors.
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23. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
The Cultural Competence
Continuum
Cultural Sameness
Cultural Growing
Cultural Learningness Cultural Overattention
Cultural Destructiveness Cultural Distraction
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24. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Diversity
Diverse areas of the world are
Un-American
• Indians were a diverse group
of more than 500 tribes with
300+ languages
They were Un-American
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25. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Diversity
Diverse areas of the world are
Un-American
• India has over more than 2000
ethnic groups and four major
families of languages
They are Un-American
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26. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Diversity
Diverse areas of the world are
Un-American
• Canada has over 26 groups
and 84 languages
They are Un-American
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27. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Their Barriers
It is our responsibility to anticipate & respond to
barriers to fitting-in
• Denial / Lack of awareness
• Resistance to change
• Lack of desire
• Lack of money
• Confusing ‘diversity’ with ‘good’
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28. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Barriers
– There are many barriers that are out of
your control
– List some of the barriers that are within
your sphere of influence
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29. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Developing Cultural
Competence
For many programs, cultural competence represents a
new way of thinking about the philosophy, content, and
delivery of services.
Becoming culturally competent is a dynamic process that
requires cultural knowledge and skill development at all
levels, including policymaking, administration, and
practice/services.
NMHIC, 1996. Based on Cross, 1989.
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30. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
… a dynamic process that
requires cultural knowledge and
skill development at all levels
• Policymaking Level
• Administrative Level
• Practice/Services Level
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31. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
At the Policymaking Level
Programs that are culturally competent:
• Appoint board members from successful members of the community
so that voices from the right groups of people within the community
participate in decisions;
• Actively recruit truly “cultural” -- integrated American -- staff;
• Provide ongoing staff training and support developing American
Cultural Competence (ACC);
• Develop, mandate, and promote standards for ACC services;
• Insist on evidence of ACC when contracting for services:
• Nurture and support new community-based integration programs
and engage in or support research on ACC;
• Support the inclusion of ACC on provider licensure and certification
examinations; and
• Support the development of ACC-appropriate assessment
instruments, for tests, surveys, and interview guides.
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32. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
At the Administrative Level
Culturally competent administrators:
• Include American Cultural Competency (ACC) requirements in staff
job descriptions and discuss the importance of American cultural awareness
(ACA) and ACC with potential employees;
• Ensure that all staff participate in regular, in-service ACC training;
• Promote programs that integrate cultural differences; and
• Consider whether the facility's location, hours, and staffing are accessible
and whether its physical appearance is helpful to integrating different cultural
groups.
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33. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
At the Practice/Services Level
Practitioners who are culturally competent:
• Learn as much as they can about an individual's idea of culture, while
recognizing the influence and power of their own background as an American
to assist integration;
• Include neighborhood and community integration efforts and involve community
leaders -- true Americans;
• Work to adjust each person's family structure, which may include extended family;
• Recognize and integrate natural helpers;
• Understand the different expectations people may have about the way services
are offered and help them to have reasonable expectations -- as Americans;
• Know that, for many people, additional tangible services--such as assistance in
obtaining housing, clothing, and transportation or resolving a problem with a child's
school--are expected, and assist them to be less expecting and less dependent;
• Adhere to American traditions relating to gender and age that may be foreign to
those from foreign cultures.
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34. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Developing An American
Integration Plan
To become fully integrated, programs need to:
• Assess their current level of American Cultural Competence;
• Develop support for sameness throughout the organization
and community;
• Identify the leadership and resources needed to achieve
sameness;
• Devise a comprehensive American Integration Plan with
specific action steps and deadlines for achievement; and
• Commit to an ongoing evaluation of progress and a
willingness to respond to change.
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NAISA, 1996

35. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Activity - Goal Setting
• Individual Action Plan
Generate from a training prompt
(a Barrier, item from the Continuum, etc.)
What level within the organization will your
plan address?
(policymaking, administration, or practice/services)
Will this step help you? your site?
(how ‘bout BOTH?)
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36. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
____________________’s Individual Action Plan
What implications does our integration work have for your service at your site? What change will you make in your work with clients,
their families and communities, or your colleagues?
Planned Change: (What will I do?) ______________________________________________________________________
Individual Action Plan
Why am I planning to How will I initiate this What support do I need to be How will I know if I’ve made
do this? change? successful? progress?
What do I hope will What am I going to do? Who can help me and what do What evidence will I review?
happen as a result of this What steps will I take and I need from them? How will I document my growth?
change? when will I take them?
Possible support and, next steps to consider: peer visitation/observation, demographic info, discuss integration issues at an upcoming meeting, online conversations with
other group member(s), reflective journal writing …
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37. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Our Guiding Principles
Our Guiding Principles are our core values,
as Americans, as patriots, as grateful emigrants
Culture is a stubborn force Diversity within cultures
is too complex
People vary in degree of
‘primitiveness’ from the If we respect unique
dominant culture cultural needs, we
disrespect other’s
Group identity is good, if it’s needs
our group ... the right
American group
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38. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Today’s Objectives
• Introduce “Cultural Competence” as a Concept
– The “Ideal”
– The “Continuum”
– Their Barriers
– Our Guiding Principles
• Helping culturally-different people to “fit in”
• Goal-setting
38

39. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competency
− We’re All Cultural Beings
Contact Jeff for more information:
Email: siwash.jeff@gmail.com
© 2006. Siwash Native Resources

40. © 2012. Diversity Counts Inc.
Cultural Competency
− We’re All Cultural Beings
NOTICE: This material is presented as a parody for
educational purposes, although all of this information
accurately contains and reflects authentic content from
counter-diversity and anti-diversity sources.
DISCLAIMER: The author is not an attorney. Users should
© 2006. Siwash Native Resources
exercise diligence, prudence, and consult with an attorney
that is fluent in civil rights law before taking any action that
is based on this material.