Cultural Diversity Competency

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Cultural Diversity Competency
When thinking about cultural competence, it is hard to really understand without knowing what it actually means. According to Sue & Sue “Cultural competence is an active, developmental, and ongoing process, that is something people achieve through ambition rather than it just being achieved” (2003). What kind of competencies it takes to be successful working in a culturally diverse workplace, and how to develop these competencies are two things this paper will discuss. Also, a personal view-point from the author on; what kinds of strengths she has and what areas she needs improvement in regards to cultural competence, and a few ways she feels she could improve those areas in which she needs improvement.
Successfully Working in a Culturally Diverse Workplace
There are many competencies required to be successful while working in a culturally diverse workplace. Effective communication, mindfulness, uncertainty reduction, and emotion regulation are the four main areas in which could truly help promote more success in the workplace. These will be the main competencies discussed.
Effective Communication
In order to be able to communicate effectively, one must first understand that communication is not just speaking verbally. Communication consists of a variety of process in order to convey information from one person to another. Matsumoto & Juang state that
“Communicating can be a very complex and intricate process involving the exchange of messages between interactants, both verbally and nonverbally” (2013).When effectively communicating in a culturally diverse workplace; it is important to understand the people in the different culture may not communicate in the same manner as another would. Each cultur...

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...lop anger, aggression, and violence in communications. With self-awareness and patience people are less likely to experience conflicts in culturally diverse situations.

Works Cited

Kirmayer L.J. (2012) Transcultural Psychiatry, vol.49 no. 2. Doi: 10.1177/1363461512444673.
Retrieved from: http://tps.sagepub.com.library.capella.edu/content/49/2/149
Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2013). Culture and psychology (5th Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
Cengage Learning. ISBN: 9781111344931.
National Association of Social Workers (NASW). (2001). Cultural Competence. Retrieved from http://www.naswdc.org/practice/standards/NAswculturalstandards.pdf Sue, D.W., & Sue, D (2003). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice, 4th Ed.
New York: John Wiley. (Caprice D. Hollins) Retrieved from:
http://www.culturesconnecting.com/docs/WhatisCulturalCompetenceHandout.doc

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