Building Organizational Capacity to Advance
Cultural Competence and Address Privilege
Professor Salome Raheim, PhD Former Dean
School of Social Work University of Connecticut (U.S.A.)
Examine elements of organizational cultural competence and privilege
Explore a case study of building organizational cultural competence and addressing privilege
Look at steps that might be taken in this organization to create a sustainable effort to advance cultural competence and address the operations of privilege
Hopes and Intentions
2
Creating a safe space. . .
Be present
Be honest
Be respectful
Be open
Be patient with yourself and others
Suspend judgment
Keep confidentiality
It’s OK to disagree
Be concise
The Fable of the Monkey and the Fish
Once upon a time a monkey and a fish
were caught up in a great flood. The
monkey, agile and experienced, had
the good fortune to scramble up a
tree to safety.
The Fable of the Monkey and the Fish
As he looked down into the raging waters, he saw a fish struggling against the swift current.
Filled with a humanitarian desire to help his less fortunate fellow, he reached down and
scooped the fish from the water.
To the monkey’s surprise, the fish was not very grateful for this aid.
(Adapted from a Traditional Tanzanian Folktale: www.afriprov.org)
When I use the term ‘cultural competence,’ I mean the ability to interact with and work effectively in the context of a wide range of human differences, including: • Race
• Ethnicity
• Religion
• National origin
• Language
• Sexual orientation
• Age
• Family size
• Family type
• Marital status
• Disability status
• Health status
• Income
• Education
(Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Issacs,1989)
Material
Culture
(Objective)
Deep
Culture
(Subjective)
Iceberg Metaphor
Material culture
Deep culture
Cosmology
Relationship to nature
View of people good/bad
Dominant way of relating:
vertical/horizontal
Time orientation
Approaches to problem
solving
Definition of Family
Family member roles
How one seeks care
Death and dying
Concept of health, illness
Who agrees to be a
patient
How one behaves as a
patient
Who makes decisions
about a patient’s
treatment Rules of decency
Showing & handling
emotions and pain (AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc., 1984)
Social Privilege
A system of unearned advantages afforded a social group and its members because of skin color, social class, religion, ethnic group membership, gender, sexual orientation or other social characteristics.
(McIntosh, Peggy. 1988; See also Raheim et al., 2004)
Power & Privilege: U.S. Context
Men White Heterosexuals Wealthy English 1st language Christians U.S. citizens Temporarily Able Bodied “Mid” age Two parent families Others????
Women People of color Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Persons with low incomes Limited English Proficient Non-Christians Immigrants Persons with disabilities Very young; Very old Single parent families Others????
Groups with Privileged Groups Lacking Privilege
Ways Privilege is Often Expressed: Microaggressions
Everyday exchanges that send
denigrating messages to certain
individuals because of their group
membership.
Generally happen below the level of
awareness of well-intentioned members
of the dominant culture.
(See Sue, 2007.
See also http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJL2P0JsAS4
Reflection & Discussion
• How can we notice the ways in which we
inadvertently enact privilege in our
work?
• How can we check out the effects of this?
(Raheim et al., An Invitation to Address Privilege and Dominance,
Dulwich Centre)
What is the link between cultural competence and privilege?
The operations of social privilege and their
effects on our lives frequently go unnoticed
and must be made visible to work in
culturally competent, that is, effective ways.
(Raheim et al., 2004)
Culture—shared meanings and behaviors—is
subject to continuous change and modification
in response to changing internal and external
circumstances (Lum, 2010, p. 18).
The Need for Cultural Humility
14
Incorporate and understand multicultural and
Intersectional analysis, integrating diversity and power
differential in relationships, past and present
experiences including micro aggressions and personal
and system (micro, meso, macro ) resources.
Honor client’s expertise on their culture.
(Ortega & Faller, 2011)
Cultural Humility
15
The Cultural Competency Journey. . .
• Becoming aware of one’s own cultural values, beliefs, behaviors, social locations, and positionality
• Becoming aware of other’s values, beliefs, behaviors, social locations, and positionality
• Becoming knowledgeable about the operations of privilege and its consequences
• Developing competencies to address issues of privilege and dominance
(Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Issacs,1989)
Why organizational cultural
competence?
Set of congruent behaviors, attitudes and
policies that come together in a system or
agency or among professionals that
support addressing privilege and working
effectively in cross cultural situations. (Cross, Bazron, Dennis & Isaacs, 1989)
Organizational Cultural Competence
18
Components of Organizational Cultural Competence
(Queensland Government, Queensland
Health, Multicultural Health, 2014)
Privilege and Culture
The dominant majority group in an organization or society determines what customs, laws, language usage, and norms will be observed, saluted, and maintained. With its superior power and prestige, the dominant group can enforce these parameters and advance its particular interests and needs.
(Moody, 2004, p. 8)
How privilege operates in organizations
Who is viewed as most knowledgeable
Whose decisions carry the most weight
Whose opinions are sought in decision-making
Impose cultural meanings
Privilege operates to . . .
Normalize some cultural practices and
marginalize others
Judge differences as deficits
Ignore history and context
Devalue, demean and trivialize non-
dominant cultural practices and groups
Effective application of cultural
competence requires addressing the
operations of privilege in practice and
in our organizations.
Organizational Cultural Competence— Taking the Journey
Elements of Organizational Cultural Competence
Commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity
Manage the dynamics of power, privilege, and difference
Conduct cultural self-assessment
Acquire & institutionalize cultural knowledge
Organizational transformation:
Structures Services/Practices
Policies Individual Competencies
(Adapted from Mason, Benjamin & Lewis, 1996)
Case Study
History
UConn SSW Academic Plan ‘09 – ’14 Goal:
Ensure a more diverse, inclusive and just community that fosters cultural competence in teaching, scholarship and service.
Dean Raheim established the Cultural Competence Action Committee (CCAC): Coordinate implementation of strategies and action steps of diversity goal.
Discussion
Do your organization’s stated
values and philosophy support
cultural competence and addressing
privilege?
The Process
Clarify values and philosophy
Create a structure
Cultivate leadership
(National Center for Cultural Competence)
On
-goin
g
Co
mm
un
icatio
n
Ongoing Communication
Announcement of Committee
Formation
Newsletters
Reports in Faculty Meeting
“Committed to Diversity” webpage http://ssw.uconn.edu/our-community/committed-to-diversity
Organizational Cultural Competence Self-Assessment
Provides a baseline measure
Tool measures perceptions of practice, attitudes and functioning
Not a measure of individual performance
Findings assist in identifying:
Professional development needs
Resources within the organization
Organizational strengths
(National Center for Cultural Competence)
Self-Assessment: The Process
Develop a structure
Allocate resources
Secure training and consultation
Develop a timeline for the process
(Mason, 1994)
On
-go
ing
Co
mm
un
ication
Self-Assessment: The Process
Review previous efforts
Gather existing data
Identify an instrument, method of
distribution, collection and analysis
Analyze data and interpret data
Create an org development plan
(National Center for Cultural Competence)
On
-go
ing
Co
mm
un
ication
Examples of Existing Data
Demographics—service area; clients, service providers and other staff; supervisory and management v. direct service employees
Service reports to determine patterns (e.g., waiting times, outcomes by population)
Agency reports (e.g., EEO)
Reports to grantors, licensure and accreditation agencies
(Adapted from Mason, Benjamin & Lewis, 1996)
Potential Constituents to Survey
Agency employees
Current and former clients
Board of Directors and Advisory Boards
Partner organization staff
Community organization staff
Funders (Adapted from Mason, Benjamin & Lewis, 1996)
Action Plan & Implementation
Increasing commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity
Managing the dynamics of power, privilege, and difference
Acquiring and institutionalizing cultural knowledge
(Mason, 1994; Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Issacs,1989)
On
-go
ing
Co
mm
un
ication
Action Plan and Implementation
Organizational transformation:
Structures
Policies
Services/Practices
Individual Competencies
(Cross, Bazron, Dennis, & Issacs,1989)
On
-go
ing
Co
mm
un
ication
Implementation and Ongoing Communication
Convocation on Cultural Competence
Terry Cross, Monica McGoldrick, Karina Walters
Diversity Field Seminar
Everyday Democracy
Relationship building activities for
faculty and staff
Implementation and Ongoing Communication
Professional development for faculty, staff, and
field advisors
Focused group for students of color and LBTQI
students
Dialogues on Race
Curriculum revision to LGBT elective course
Student Subcommittee
Reflection & Discussion
• How can we respond when this occurs?
• How can we create processes of
accountability to take care in relation to
these issues?
(Raheim et al., An Invitation to Address Privilege and Dominance, Dulwich Centre)
In this organizational context,
what steps might be taken to
create a sustainable effort to
advance cultural competence
and address privilege and
dominance?
Please continue these conversations with
your colleagues, in your workplace, and at
An Invitation to Address Privilege and
Dominance:
http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au
Next steps. . .
For additional details on this effort to advance cultural competence and address privilege, see www.ssw.uconn.edu--> Community-->Committed to Diversity
Cultural Competence Web Resources
National Center for Cultural Competence http://nccc.georgetown.edu/
National Association of Social Workers (USA) Cultural Competence Indicators https://www.socialworkers.org/practice/standards/NASWCulturalStandardsIndicators2006.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Health Resources and Services Administration http://www.hrsa.gov/culturalcompetence/index.html
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Minority Health: National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care: http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/ and https://www.thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/
References
AFS Internatial Programs, Inc. (1984). Orientation handbook, Vol. 4. New York: (Author). (See also: Fowler, S.M., & Mumford, M.G. (Eds.) (1995). Intercultural sourcebook: Cross-cultural training methods, Vol. I. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press, Inc.)
Bronheim, S. (2004). Cultural competence: It all starts at the front desk. Washington, D.C.: National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development.
Cross, T. L., Bazron, F., Dennis, K., & Issacs, M. (1989). Towards a culturally competent system of care. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Child Development Center.
Lum, D. (2010). Culturally competent practice: A framework for understanding diverse groups and justice issues. Cengage Learning.
References
Mason, J.L. (1994). Developing culturally competent organizations. Focal Point, 8(2), 1-7.
Mason, J. A., Benjamin, M. P., & Lewis, S. (1996). The cultural competence model. Families in the mental health system for children and adolescents. Policy, service, and research, 165-190.
McIntosh, Peggy. (1988) White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women’s Studies. Working Paper Series, No. 189. Wellesley, MA: Center for Research on Women. Excerpted: http://www.utoronto.ca/acc/events/peggy1.htm.
Moody, J. (2004). Faculty diversity: Problems and solutions. Routledge.
National Center for Cultural Competence. (2005a). Conceptual frameworks/models, guiding values and principles. Retrieved June 1, 2015, from http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/nccc/framework.html.
References
Ortega, R. M. & Faller, K.C. (2011). Training child welfare workers from an intersectional cultural humility prerspective: A paradigm shift. Child Welfare, 90(5), 27.
Queensland Government, Queensland Health, Multicultural Health (2014). Organisational cultural competency framework. Retrieved July 1, 2015 from http://www.health.qld.gov.au.
Raheim, S. (2004/2005). Building organizational capacity for cultural competence. International Journal of Diversity in Organizations, Communities and Nations: Proceedings of the Managing Diversity Conference 2003, 3B, 137-151.
Raheim, S., White, C., Denborough, D., Waldegrave, C., Tamasese, K., Tuhaka, F., Franklin, A., Fox, H., & Carey, M. (2004) An invitation to address privilege and dominance. Dulwich Centre, Adelaide, Australia. Retrieved July 1, 2015 from http://www.dulwichcetre.com.au.
References
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M. Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A., Nadal, K.L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. AmericanPsychologist, 62(4), 271.
Traditional Tanzanian Folktale: How the Monkeys Saved the Fish. African Proverbs, Sayings and Stories. Retrieved from http:// www.afriprov.org.