Work effectively with culturally diverse clients and co-workersHLTHIR403C

#1: Defining Culture & Cultural Competency

•Cultural awareness at work

•Cultural diversity is positive in the workplace

Lesson Outline

What is Culture?

Overlapping and embedded:

- in a social sense (interactions)- ethnicity (common traits/characteristics)- workplace culture in community services

A Definition of Culture:

• Is an integrated pattern of human behavior that includes thoughts, communications, languages, practices, beliefs, values, customs, courtesies, rituals, manners of interacting, roles, relationships, and expected behaviors of a particular racial, ethnic, religious, or social group, with the ability to transmit the above to succeeding generations

• Georgetown University: http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/frameworks.html#ccdefinition

Societal Culture

• All of us are cultural beings. All of us have culture. Our culture shapes how we see the world and make sense of it.

• Culture influences all of our behaviours and interactions.

• Our culture also mediates how we make sense of difference e.g. disability and respond to people with disability.

• What influences have you experienced in your life, that have become a part of your identity today?

Societal Culture

• Culture is not static – it is constantly changing and responding to shifting environments and circumstances. Within each culture there are many subcultures, which means that many beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviours are not shared amongst all the people from a culture.

Societal Culture

• Except for very few isolated communities, all cultures are exposed to external influences.

• Whilst external influences have always existed – how else would knowledge of how to make noodles have travelled from China to Italy? – the rate at which cultures are exposed to external influences today is greater than ever before.

Ethnicity as a definition of Culture

• In Australia, there is a tendency to use the term ‘culture’ only in relation to people from non-English speaking backgrounds, which suggest that Anglo-Australians are culturally neutral.

• If we use the above definition of culture, we need to view all Australians as cultural beings.

Workplace Culture

• Culture is not limited to societal differences or heritage/background differences. Different workplace harvest their own ‘culture’ or their own ‘cultural identity.’ One most widely recognised is that some organisations are known to have a ‘bullying culture’.

Workplace Culture

• So Workplace Culture is: The integration of who and what employees, customers/clients are into specific standards, policies, practices and attitudes used in appropriate cultural settings to increase the quality of services, thereby producing better outcomes.

Workplace Culture

• This means that as an individual where in the workplace you should attempt to develop, the ability to think, feel and act in ways that acknowledge, respect and build upon ethnic, socio-cultural and linguistic diversity.

• How do we do this?

Cultural Competence vs Cultural Awareness

We develop cultural competency:• Cultural competence:

- The ability to effectively operate within different cultural contexts.

• Cultural awareness:– Sensitivity and understanding toward members of other

ethnic groups.• Watch youtube: Comparing Different Cultures: Intercultural

Communications -- Rey Tyhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gRXMzR_8BY

Cultural Competence Continuum

CulturalIgnorance

CulturalAwareness

CulturalSensitivity

CulturalCompetence

Celebration of our Cultural

Diversity

References• Chatswood (1993).The conflict resolution network: Conflict resolution trainers manual – 12

skills)• Chenoweth L & McAuliffe D 2011 The road to social work & human service practice, 3rd

edn.,Cengage Learning Australia. Chapter 8• Comparing Different Cultures: Intercultural Communications - Rey Ty, online video, accessed

20th May 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gRXMzR_8BY• Corey G, Corey MS & Callanan P 2011 Issues and ethics in the helping professions, 8th edn.,

Cengage Learning: Brookes/Cole , United States. Chapter 4• Cornelius, H & Faire, S. (1989). Everyone can win: How to resolve conflict. Simon & Schuster,

Sydney• Cross Cultural Communication , online video, accessed 20 May 2012 ,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrJTf97Ev8o&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PLFE9649EC6D77970C

• Culture and Communication-Low and High Context Cultures, online video, accessed 20 May, 2012,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tIUilYX56E&feature=autoplay&list=PLFE9649EC6D77970C&playnext=2

References• Cultural Competence: Managing Your Prejudices, online video, accessed May 22, 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1MI_h0HIcw• Cultural Diversity - Tips for communicating with cultural awareness, online video, accessed 20

May 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDvLk7e2Irc&feature=related• Diversity Dave, online video, accessed 26 May 2012,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc-eWbc7kDM&feature=related• Emotional Intelligence or Behaviorial Control? (part 2) , online video, accessed 23 May, 2012,• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W4kWPdcdUk&feature=related31• Erikson, E.H. (1974). Dimensions of a New Identity. New York: Norton• Georgetown University: National Centre for Cultural Competence 200, ‘Cultural Competence:

Definition & Conceptual Framework,’ Washington, accessed 24 May, 2012. http://nccc.georgetown.edu/foundations/frameworks.html#ccdefinition

• Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury Publishing• Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam Books.• Hage, H. & Couch, R. (eds), 1999, The Future of Australian Multiculturalism, Research Inst. For

Humanities and Soc. Sciences, Sydney University• Healey, J., 2000, Multiculturalism Volume 126, Issues in Society, The Spinney Press, Thirroul,

NSW• Healey, J., 2000, Australia’s National Identity, Volume 133, Issues in Society, The Spinney Press,

Thirroul, NSW

References

• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Fact sheet: Face the Facts: How diverse are Australians (section 6)

• Hodge B & O’Carroll J 2006 Borderwork in Multicultural Australia, Allen & Unwin Sydney• Kenny S 2011 Developing communities for the future, 4th edn., Cengage Learning Australia.

Chapter 9• Practice in human services organisations, Allen & Unwin, Australia. Chapter 6• Maidment J & Egan R (eds) 2009 Practice skills in social work & welfare, 2nd edn., Allen &

Unwin, Australia. Chapter 9,11 • Making Multicultural Australia, 2002. “Ethnicity”. Accessed May 23, 2012http://www.multicult

uralaustralia.edu.au• Managing Conflict - Thomas Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument , online video, accessed 22

May, 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFf88IVl_Wc• MDA Multicultural Development Association 2012,

“Working as a culturally competent mental health practitioner”. Accessed May 22, 2012, http://aboriginal.childhealthresearch.org.au/media/54895/chapter12.pdf

• Nick Vujicic, No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! Part 1, online video, accessed 18 May 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_24_qTNac

References

• O’Hara A & Pockett R (eds) 2011 Skills For Human Service Practice: Working with Individuals, Groups and Communities, 2nd edn., Oxford University Press, Australia/ New Zealand

• Racism. No Way! 2010. “Fact sheet: Australia's Cultural Diversity”, accessed May 24 2012• Sockalingum adapted from Hayes, Cultural Competence Continuum, 1993 and Terry Cross

Cultural Competency Continuum• “The secret world of the child bride: Heartbreaking pictures of the girls as young as FIVE who

are married off to middle-aged men,” Daily Mail, accessed 24 April,2012, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2001029/Child-brides-young-5-married-secret-middle-aged-men.html#ixzz1pjEGZZYf

• Trudge R 2005 Why worriers lie down and die, P/l Darwin• Segal J., Ph.D., Smith M., M.A., and Jaffe. J, Ph.D. Cited March 2012 , accessed 23 May, 2012,

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/eq6_nonverbal_communication.htm• Teenage parents - Babes - First Light, online video, accessed 21 May 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-ChyDrcizM• Today Tonight story on Universal Royalty Pageant Australia , online video accessed 24 May

2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTQ51p6QW1A • What is your conflict style?, online video, accessed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hv9FEuk4Mhk&feature=related