1. Becoming Culturally Competent
An introduction to cultural differences and the impact of unconscious bias in communicating

2. Goals for Todays Seminar
Look at what culture is and the assumptions made by different cultures about others
Examine unconscious bias and potential impact in academic environments when it comes to:
Students
Faculty, staff, and administrators
Begin to examine how to improve cultural misunderstanding bybecoming culturally competent
3. Prepare to be Interactive!
4. Culture, Values, and Assumptions
I note the obvious differences between each sort and type,
but we are more alike, my friends, than we are unalike.
Maya Angelou
5. Whats Cultural Competenceand Why We Need It
Cultural competence emphasizes learning effective ways to operate in different cultural contexts
Becoming culturally competent also:
Helps educators more effectively deliver learning to students
Helps recruit and retain a more diverse student and faculty population
Helps workplace colleagues foster better cooperation and productivity in the workplace
Helps prevent or minimize unintended consequences that result from the interactions we have every day
6. As American as Apple Pie
Break into small groups
Write down 3-4 words or catch phrases that seem to embody what it means to be American
Be ready to share your groups responses with the audience
You have 3 minutes to complete this exercise
One persons view of what it means to be American: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-BZcRAWHeQ
7. How Do We Define Culture?
8. To Some, Winner Is Not American Enough
An uncommon sports dispute erupted online, fraught with racial and nationalistic components: Should Keflezighis triumph count as an American victory? He was widely celebrated as the first American to win the New York race since 1982. Having immigrated to the United States at age 12, he is an American citizen and a product of American distance running programs at the youth, college and professional levels.
But, some said, because he was born in Eritrea, he is not really an American runner.
Nov. 3, 2009 N.Y. Times article by Gina Kolata; photo by Henry Ray Abrams, AP
9. Snapshots on How Other Cultures May View Americans.
Sudanese refugees and their view of Americans
http://www.edupass.org/culture/stereotypes.phtml
What American organizations working to acculturate college students into the U.S. say
http://www.edupass.org/culture/stereotypes.phtml
10. Changing Times and Their Impact on American Culture
American Dominance in the 20th Century
Impact of Globalization in the 21st Century
World dominance in business after WWII
Predominant cultural norms
Workplace
Family
Religion
Gender roles
Demographics
Race
Ethnicity
Who dominates in business today?
What are the predominant cultural norms?
Workplace
Family
Religion
Gender roles
Changing demographics
Race
Ethnicity
11. Other Aspects of the Current Cultural Landscape. . . .
Age and generational differences
Gender and gender orientation differences
Sexual orientation
Regional differences
Red states versus blue states
South versus North versus West versus Midwest versus Northeast
12. Lets Check Your Cultural Competence.
Whats the difference between the words Hispanic and Latino?Is one more offensive than another?
Touching a child on the top of his head is a non-threatening sign of affection from an adult.
Establishing direct eye contact when talking with someone shows trustworthiness.
What does it mean when a person from the Appalachian region of Kentucky tells you I dont care to do something?
13. Miscommunications and Missed Signals Due to Cultural Variances
We each come into an environment with our own framework for determining whats normative in terms of culture
Where do we learn whats culturally normative?
When our cultural norms differ from those of other people,problems can arise with communication, leading to:
Anger
Hurt feelings
Missed opportunities
14. Is There an Underlying Cause to Cultural Misfires and Problems?
15. Cultural Differences, Communication and Unconscious Bias as the Source Source of Culture Clash
Psychologists once believed that only bigoted people used stereotypes.Now the study of unconscious bias is revealing the unsettling truth:We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it.We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us. Article from Psychology Today
16. Cultural Norms and Stereotyping
In the practical sense a culture norm is a society's propensity towards certain ideals; their aversion from others; and their standard, ritualistic practices. Essentially what the 'norm' is a summation of typical activities and beliefs of group of people. Culture norm is essentially a gentle stereotype. . . .
But why do we stereotype?
From Economic Expert.com, defining cultural norm
17. Cognitive Psychology, Affective Reactions and Unconscious Bias
Empirical research done in the social sciences:
Tests given to participants in various settings.
Pervasive Implicit Bias:Socially dominant groups have implicit bias against subordinate groups (White over non-White, for example). . . Almost a hundred studies have documented peoples tendency to automatically associate positive characteristics with their ingroups more easily than with outgroups. . . as well as their tendency to associate negative characteristics with outgroups more easily than ingroups.(article by Jerry Kang)
This implicit/unconscious preferencing occurred even when people consciously tried to limit group preferencing
18. Examples of Unconscious Bias Studies
Group readings study and results
Immediate hostile reaction study and results
Implicit Association Test at Harvard (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit)
Tests developed to identify hidden bias in terms of race, gender, age, sexual orientation
19. Stereotyping and Unconscious Bias
We all stereotype people
Are we hard wired to stereotype?
The need for blink decisions by prehistoric man
The problem with taking fight/flight responses into a modern-day setting
20. But How Accurate Are Our Blink Impressions?
How much can you tell from a face?
21. A Post-Racial Generation/America?
The extreme case
Heres what we typically think of when we think about the negative impact of stereotyping and bias
http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/26/hate.groups.report/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
22. Bias Today Usually Isnt That Extreme, Yet It Still Has Impact.
What most of us normally see or experience doesnt rise to the most extreme levels
Unconscious bias impacts how we view the world and those around us.
23. Focus with Unconscious Bias in Academia
Current work mainly looks at faculty and primarily addresses sex, race and gender issues
What those works indicate:
Unconscious bias and stereotyping are particularly problematic when it comes to three constituencies:
Students
Administration
Other faculty
24. Displays of Unconscious Bias that Affect Faculty, Administrators
Students
Complaints to administration, excessively negative evaluations, challenges to authority and classroom management
Stereotyping of women, people of color
Challenges by majority students about credentials, appearance, authority,evaluative methods used with students
Colleagues and administration
Overburdening faculty with academic housekeeping
Stereotyping
Undermining comments to students and other faculty
Belief people from outside groups are hypersensitive or have illegitimate concerns about stereotyping and bias
Unconscious desire for people to assimilate in order to be retained
25. Unconscious Bias and Its Extension Outside Academia
At work every day
In other settings
For co-workers
For the actor or actors involved
For the work environment
In international business transactions
With health care professionals and health care delivery to patients
New Jersey enacted a law in 2005 to integrate cultural competency training into the training physicians receive, including CME courses
26. Instances of Unconscious Bias
With students?
With your colleagues?
With friends?
Break into small groups and share experiences where you may have seen or experienced unconscious bias concerning gender or age/generational differences.
What was your reaction to the situation?
27. Breaking the Cycle
Promising evidence in social cognitive psychology indicates that with sufficient motivation, cognitive resources, and effort, people are able to focus on the unique qualities of individuals, rather than on the groups they belong to, in forming impressions and behaving toward others.
From Reducing Racial Bias Among Health Care Providers: Lessons from Social-Cognitive Psychology
28. The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step
What weve done today is take some first steps toward becoming culturally competent by:
Gaining an understanding that what we consider appropriate is based on cultural norms we grew up withand that other people may not have those same values
Realizing we all stereotype people based on those cultural norms
Understanding stereotyping can result in bias that can negative impact those around us, even when we dont intend for that to happen or want the best outcomes
29. Quick Ideas to Implement Now to Improve Cultural Competence
Educate yourself about what you value and what others value, differences in behaviors, etc.
Learn to listen more than talk
Go online to learn about the cultural norms of those you may encounter at work or in the classroom
Become curious about the world around you
Go beyond The Golden Rule
Use the Mark Twain rule
Special considerations for managers
Becoming culturally competent is a process.You didnt become who you are overnight, and you wont change overnight.Be patient, and know an old dog can learn new tricks!
30. Is this Your Internal Monologue?.
There are too many different cultures to learn abouthow am I supposed to know what could offend a person from a particular ethnic or racial background?
This is a bunch of PC crap.Im not going to change who I am!
People get too sensitive about these things.They just need to grow up!
The Roots theory of cultural assimilation
31. Additional Resources
Web resources
Video
http://academic.udayton.edu/health/03access/racial.htm (race and its impact on healthcare; youll also find similar work related to other disciplines)
http://www.med.umich.edu/multicultural/ccp/index.htm (free resources on multiculturalism for health care professionals)
YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJGyAPqqVm8&feature=related(fun, slightly bawdy tongue in cheek that shows how cultural misunderstandings can create unanticipated consequences)
Movies
Crash
Gran Torino