March 2000: Cultural Competence
In the coming weeks, the Student Affairs Office is offering a series
of programs on "Cultural Competence" aimed at developing our ability
to interact effectively and appropriately across different cultures.
In 1990, Larry Ebbers and Shirley Henry wrote an article on cultural
competence for the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators.
Their article quoted T. Cross as defining cultural competence as "the
effectiveness of [one's] work with someone of a different ethnicity,
culture or race." The article further stated, "Culturally competent
professionals do not attempt to conduct themselves as though they were
members of a culture different from their own. They do, however, reflect
an internalized awareness of specific cultures and an ability to carry
out professional activities consistent with that awareness."
Currently I'm taking a course in intercultural communication and studying
the ways in which individuals from different countries, religions, climates
and backgrounds communicate based on cultural differences. One such difference
is our concept of time, which is viewed very differently across various
cultures. A film, The Primal Mind, suggests that people have an easier
time living with differences in religion or ethnicity than living with
differences in time orientation. The film pointed out that in some indigenous
languages, there are no words for second, minute and hour. The concepts
of being "on time" or "wasting time" or "running out of time" are strange
in a culture that views time as limitless and measureless.
The concept of time is just one of the many ways that we as human beings
differ. Some of us value individualism and strive to achieve to our full
potential based on individual accomplishment. Others of us value our
collective interdependence and believe that we have obligations to provide
for the common good and benefit of others. We also differ in the ways
we relate to nature, in how we treat our elders and teachers, in how
we deal with conflict, in how we define "success," etc.
What does this mean for us working at the university? In order to work
together successfully in our multicultural community, we will need to
increase our knowledge about each other and develop skills to interact
across our cultural differences. We will need to pay attention to differences
in verbal and non-verbal communication, the importance of family and
other group affiliations, direct and indirect styles of relating, and
so on. Each cultural group and each individual within a group brings
a unique style of relating. An important skill to develop is the art
of listening. By carefully listening and checking for understanding,
we can improve our chances for successful intercultural interactions
even though we may be unfamiliar with a specific culture.
As our society becomes increasingly diverse, our ability to understand
and appreciate one another's values and perspectives will become even
more necessary. A lack of cultural understanding can result in the loss
of talent and expertise in our campus community. In order to attract
and retain the level of excellence we want in our faculty, staff and
students, our professional activities will need to be "culturally competent" so
that we can communicate, deliberate, collaborate, and problem solve across
all of our differences.