Cultural sensitivity
Achieving cultural sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity is achieved by the mastery of cultural intelligence, cultural transformation, and cross-cultural skills:
• Cultural intelligence is understanding how others think, believe, and value—knowledge of others and their culture (e.g., face, history, extended family, etc.).
• Cultural transformation is learning to adapt to cultural differences in order to work together more productively in service to others—experience of personal transformation with respect to cultural beliefs or values of others (e.g., biases, prejudices, ethnocentrism, religion, and fundamental cultural differences).
• Cross-cultural skills is behaving in ways that reflect empathy, compassion, and understanding for others who are culturally and ethnically different—experience of cultural compatibility in relationship with others (e.g., authentic relationship with a variety of races, ethnicities, and cultures, etc.).
Cultural Intelligence
Culture refers to the beliefs, values, ethics, and customs that control and
influence the behaviors of an individual or a group.
• Culture is the lens through which we understand the world and our experiences of others, e.g., relationships, religion, work processes, worldviews, etc.
• Culture and language are inseparable.
• Culture establishes expectations of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors, i.e. time, respect, authority, performance, advancement, decision-making, etc.
• Culture determines the dominant relationship and communication styles of those we work with and serve, e.g., either relationship-oriented or task-oriented.
• Culture is based upon a common value system.
The skills associated with competently working with cross-cultural differences is called “cultural proficiency.”
Cultural sensitivity
Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (with one being “not at all” and ten being “exceptionally so”).
1) How knowledgeable am I of cultures that are divergently different than my own?
2) How tolerant/accepting am I of very different cultures, workstyles, and people?
3) How easily do I adapt to divergently different cultures, workstyles, and people as a result of my own personal transformation?
4) How aware am I of how my relationship/communication style affects my co-workers, customers, or others I work or live with, respectively?
5) How skilled am I at coaching myself and others through the resolution of difficulties where significant cultural differences are involved?
Have fun.
Looking forward to your comments.
Ulla
