1. Building Culturally Competent Organizations

2. What is culture?
The shared traditions, beliefs, customs, history, folklore, and institutions of a group of people.
Cultural knowledge- Knowing about a culture
Cultural awareness- Understanding other groups
Cultural sensitivity- Knowing differences exist, but not assigning values
Cultural competence- Includes previous stages; adds operational effectiveness

3. What are the types of diversity in an organization?
Ethnicity
Gender
Sexual orientation
Social class
Spiritual beliefs and practice
Physical and mental ability

4. Why is it important to be culturally competent?
Increased respect
Increased creativity
Decreased unwanted surprises
Increased participation from cultural groups
Increased trust and cooperation
Overcome fear of mistakes and conflict
Promotes inclusion and equality

5. When to become culturally competent:
An organization needs to be culturally competent when there is:
A problem or crisis
A shared vision
And a desired outcome
An organization is ready when:
Groups are identified
Needs are identified
Knows previous experiences
Are open to learning and adapting

6. Action Steps for achieving cultural competence:
Develop support for change
Identify groups to be involved
Identify barriers
Assess current level of cultural competence
Identify resources needed
Develop goals, implementation steps and deadlines
Commit to an ongoing evaluation process

7. How to begin building a multicultural organization:
Form a committee
Write a mission statement
Research past experience; develop partnerships
Use free resources
Assess current cultural competence
Ask about staff development needs
Assign part of budget for staff/cultural development
Include cultural competence in job description
Ensure facility is accessible and respectful
Collect resource materials

8. How to manage the dynamics:
Establish a vision and context
Recruit and outreach to community
Sponsor diversity training
Have organizational structure and operating procedures
Use comfortable and respectful communication
Understand "different, but similar"
Maintain the commitment
Provide strong leadership
Provide activities