What are the 3 three principles that are required of you to be culturally competent within your work space and or personal environment?

1. Career development
2. All About Cultural Competence and Workplace Culture

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated February 11, 2021 | Published December 12, 2019

Updated February 11, 2021

Published December 12, 2019

Through cultural competence, you develop the ability to communicate and interact effectively with people across cultures who have varying beliefs and schedules. Improving cultural competence in the workplace can improve your productivity and performance, but takes time and a commitment to education. In this article, we explore what cultural competence is, why it matters and tips for improving cultural competency in your workplace.

What is cultural competence?

Cultural competence is the ability to effectively communicate and interact with people across cultures through positive behaviors, attitudes and policies. The word “culture” refers to the beliefs, values and thoughts of a racial, ethnic, religious or social group and competence implies the ability to function effectively. 

Why cultural competence is advantageous in the workplace

In our workplaces, in our world, we are a diverse people. Cultural competence is increasingly important as our means of communication and collaboration in working environments evolve. Learning how to respect, communicate and collaborate with an increasingly diverse work culture is crucial to optimizing a company’s efficiency and productivity. More specifically, the benefits of a culturally competent workplace can include:

Increased appreciation for other perspectives

Culturally competent employees are typically more open to the views and perspectives of others. This can increase employee performance by increasing teamwork and unity.

More ideas

When people from different cultures are working together, there are more perspectives and ideas presented. With more ideas, it is easier to find solutions to challenges when they arise.

Increased creativity

Cultural competence increases creativity in problem-solving as a result of the new perspectives and strategies.

Improved listening

Active listening and clear communication are required for cultural competence. Everyone must be able to communicate their thoughts and ideas clearly and concisely and be willing to hear what others have to say and understand their views. 

Increased empathy and adaptability

Empathetic, adaptive employees tend to be more productive and work together more harmoniously. When changes in routine, management or strategic direction occur, these employees will adapt more rapidly and willingly.

Tips for improving cultural competence in the workplace

To improve cultural competence in your workplace, you need a plan. Start by assessing the current level of cultural competence and identify the knowledge, skills and resources that you can build upon. Identify whether you will need funding to bring about the change and, if so, how much is required. Training programs, for example, may require company resources and employee time to complete. Develop goals as well as steps to achieve them, while specifying the what, when and how of your cultural competency plan.

The following tips should help you develop your plan:

• Train for global citizenship.

• Practice communication skills.

• Practice good manners.

• Encourage discussion.

• Build teamwork.

• Practice listening.

Train for global citizenship

Providing employees with information to help them better understand cultural differences is critical for effective work and team performance in a cross-cultural work environment. Consider holding training classes to help your employees better understand the practices in other cultures. Training could cover topics like communication styles in different cultures, negotiation skills, business etiquette and marketing skills.

It’s also important to encourage employees to conduct self-assessments of their own behavior. For example, physical distance during professional interactions can vary from culture to culture. If a member of your team routinely touches someone’s arm when they are communicating with another person, that physical contact could be misinterpreted in some cultures. Conducting surveys and having open discussions can help team members to become more self-aware and make the necessary adjustments for other cultures.

Practice communication skills

Different cultures have many different ways of communicating, especially about context and directness. For example, in the United States, people tend to be more direct and say what they mean. In many other cultures, people are less direct, which can be confusing or misleading to employees who are accustomed to a direct approach. To avoid miscommunication, you can use short sentences and avoid colloquialism. Following up verbal communication with an email can also help to prevent mistakes and misunderstandings.

Related: Common Communication Barriers (With Examples)

Practice good manners

Employees generally know the importance of good manners, but in some countries, good manners are crucial. For example, saying “please” and “thank you” are considered essential in some countries. 

It’s also important to keep your level of formality in mind. In the United States, people tend to be more casual, both in behavior as well as dress. In other cultures, formality is valued and is a demonstration of respect. 

Encourage discussion

Encourage employees to come to you if they are having problems with cultural differences. The earlier these issues are addressed, the less negative impact you will have on productivity. Allow each team member to express their concerns in equal measure to best understand all perspectives and work through the conflict successfully.

Related: Conflict Resolution Skills: Definition and Examples

Build teamwork

Cultural conflicts are generally minimized when goal-oriented team environments are prioritized. Cross-culture team-building is essential to benefiting from cultural diversity.

Related: 6 Ideas for Team Building Activities

Practice listening

Cultural competence requires you to listen with an open mind to fully understand someone else’s perspective. It requires you to be open to the idea that someone else’s idea or perspective may be better or more effective than yours. At a minimum, it requires that you treat every conversation as a learning opportunity.

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