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Training Soapbox: Achieve Cultural Competency
February 10, 2009
Companies today need to move beyond diversity to cultural competency, which includes generational diversity; ethnicity and what that means for us as Americans; and language and accents.
By Dr. Sangeeta R. Gupta
Diversity training should no longer be about diversity. An effective program for today's multicultural workforce needs to include some "new" topics. Traditional diversity programs talk about race, gender, disabilities, and perhaps age and sexual orientation, and how we all have to get along. However, they do not provide the skills necessary for this transformation to take place. In addition, the majority of these programs do not take into consideration issues such as generational diversity and cultural competency. Today's workforce has four generations interacting together. Today's workforce is the most multicultural workforce we have ever seen. Beyond their co-workers, today's employees often are interacting with or providing services to diverse and multicultural customers and clients. To be effective and retain this important component of your business, employees must have additional skills. And traditional diversity programs are not teaching these skills.
The solution lies in creating a climate of inclusion and a cultural competency strategy instead of simply having a program. This requires a multi-prong approach: Companies must be willing to take the time to understand their specific culture and the issues that are present. The next step is to take that information and design both a customized content and delivery mechanism. When looking at your approach, you may want to consider changing the title. So many employees have a negative impression of the word, "diversity." To them, it means quotas and affirmative action. Titles such as "Creating an Inclusive Environment" or "Creating an Environment of Mutual Respect" or "Developing Cultural Competency" are more indicative of the direction most companies want to go.
Today's Topics
In creating the program itself, topics reflecting the reality of today's workplace should be added. The umbrella of cultural competency includes generational diversity, ethnicity and what that means for us as Americans, and language and accents (a highly volatile topic). There are real differences in how the four generations approach work, projects, and interactions. Each group has strengths that can be leveraged to increase the overall productivity; however, they have to be taught to work together.
We are becoming increasingly more multicultural as a society and a discussion of ethnicity and national origin must be included. With this topic comes the conversation around language and accents. Many of these discussions lead to an environment where individuals are becoming culturally competent. This involves several steps:
• First is an increase in awareness and a desire to learn about other groups of people. Most Americans are not knowledgeable about other societies. For example, communication is one of the biggest issues companies face. And people communicate differently from one part of the country or globe to another. We have to understand that there are different communication styles and that they are all valid. By learning how to differentiate, we can increase our understanding of what is being said. This seems simple, but it has a profound effect. Increasing dialogue will increase understanding. I am not suggesting that people adopt or accept what other societies believe or how they interact, but rather that they attempt to understand it.
• The next step is to figure out a way to work with these differences of opinion and perception while maintaining your own sense of self and your society.
• The last step is competency where you can work effectively in both your environment and in others. This affects not only how co-workers interact, but how your employees interact with customers, vendors, and clients. They now can understand they may need to be more formal with certain people and communicate in a different manner to get their message across. Learning to be culturally competent will help your employees be more effective.
No More Canned Programs
When it comes to delivery of the training, employees are tired of "canned" programs. I have seen highly choreographed programs that leave little time for actual attendee participation. A good program must be customized. Facilitators must be highly trained and able to further customize the program on the spot. They cannot deliver the same program day after day after day. They are not trainers or teachers but facilitators. They are there to present specific material and facilitate a learning process for adult learners.
A successful program is one that engages the participants and pushes them out of their comfort zone, forcing them to think about things in a different way. We are at a difficult juncture in our nation's history. With the diversity and multiculturalism that is becoming the norm across the country, employees need to think about questions such as, "Who is an American?" Is it the employee whose family has been here for 100 years or is it the new American citizen who speaks with an accent? Or is it both? These are questions that are very real in today's society, and an outstanding and engaging program will give employees the tools to think about these issues in a safe and respectful environment.
Your new diversity program should be practical and "real world" focused. It should unify the participants with a positive tone, not create an "us" against "them" mentality. In addition to being customized to your organization, your program should have pre-work and post-work, so the learning continues beyond the training itself. It should be practical in what it conveys and provide skills participants can use in their specific workplace. It should address issues employees currently face and provide different ways of looking at and dealing with real-life situations and practical solutions.
By revamping your current diversity program to move it toward cultural competency, you will address the current needs of your employees. You have the opportunity to create a program that will engage them and perhaps create a new perspective. The best compliment I receive when I facilitate is, "You've made me think differently." By engaging your audience, you can create an effective program structured to maximize understanding, leading to increased productivity and effectiveness and, ultimately, impacting your bottom line.
Dr. Sangeeta R. Gupta is a partner in Gupta Consulting Group (GCG), a full-service consulting and training organization specializing in helping companies create an environment of inclusion. Dr. Gupta is the author of "A Quick Guide to Cultural Competency." Contact her at Sangeeta@guptaconsulting.com. For free resources, visit www.guptaconsulting.com.
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