Organisational success today depends on effective communication and collaboration with individuals from cultures with varying beliefs and practices. Indeed, with the workforce increasingly comprised of people of varying cultural backgrounds, leaders must now prioritise the significance of cultural competence in the workplace.
Ensuring cultural competence at every level of your organisation cannot be understated. While cultural disparities can manifest in different ways, as a leader, you must build deep and nuanced cultural competence skills and education to accurately spot, address and alleviate the various scenarios that can arise.
Failing to recognise the importance of cultural competence or not acting to improve it can lead to cultural negligence. There are a few things to consider to ensure your organisation is on the right track.
In this deck, you'll understand the importance of building cultural competence in the workplace.
You'll also learn
• The three (3) dimensions of Cultural Competence in the workplace
• Key strategies to build a culturally competent workforce
• Major benefits you stand to gain by having a culturally competent team.
1. Cracking The ‘Cultural Competence’ Code
Secrets To Building A Culturally Competent Organisation
2. With an increasing dependence
on a diverse workforce and
cross-cultural collaboration for
organisational success, cultural
competence in the workplace is
becoming increasingly
important.
Organisations achieving
cultural competency
better position themselves
as great places to work,
setting the table for
success.
4. Cultural competence is a broad concept that
generally refers to the ability to understand,
appreciate, and interact with people of
different cultures and backgrounds.
7. Why Cultural Competence Is Essential For
Your Organisation
Understanding and respecting cultural
differences can minimise
misunderstandings, conflicts, and
misinterpretations, leading to
smoother interactions and improved
teamwork.
Enhanced Communication
and Collaboration
Cultural competence equips you
and your employees with the skills
to navigate conflicts constructively
and resolve disputes effectively.
Conflict Resolution and Mediation
A culturally competent
workplace acts as a magnet for
top talents seeking inclusive and
supportive environments.
Talent Attraction and Retention
By understanding the cultural
preferences of different demographic
groups, you can tailor products,
services, and marketing strategies to
resonate with diverse audiences.
Expanded Market Reach
and Innovation
Read more: How to Build Diverse Teams Using Assessments & Why It Matters
8. Strategies To Develop Cultural Competence In The Workplace
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Create A Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
9. The first step toward cultural
competence is to create awareness of
unconscious biases and its impact in
the workplace. This strategy should
revolve around training that aim to
solve current systemic and structural
issues within your organization.
Provide Workplace Bias
Training
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
Create a Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
10. Implement a hiring process that
addresses current recruiting
shortcomings, interviewing, and hiring
diverse talent. Part of this process
should be ensuring that job
descriptions contain inclusive language.
Implement an Equitable
Hiring Process
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
Create a Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
11. This strategy focuses on creating
suitable compensation plans that are
strictly dependent on experience. It
starts by re-evaluating your current pay
and match it with industry standards,
such that compensation is even.
Ensure Fair and Equitable
Compensation
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
Create a Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
12. Encouraging your employees to
build cross-cultural relationships,
which ultimately benefits them in
and out of the workplace and
transform your organisational
culture.
Build Cross-Cultural
Relationships
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
Create a Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
Click here to read: How to Leverage Assessment in Talent Management and Development
13. Educating your management team on
the values you’d like to see in the
workplace is an important step into a
culturally competent company. This
ensures that cultural competence
becomes a priority.
Prioritise Cultural
Competence Programmes
For Leadership
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
Create a Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
14. Building cultural competence
involves creating a safe space for
understanding, belonging and
healthy communication. As such, it is
important to provide ample room
for dialogue in the workplace.
Create a Safe Environment
For Dialogue
Implement an
Equitable
Hiring Process
Ensure Fair
and Equitable
Compensation
Build Cross-
Cultural
Relationships
Prioritize
Cultural
Competence
Programmes
For
Leadership
Create a Safe
Environment
For Dialogue
Provide
Workplace
Bias Training
15. Being culturally competent
positions you better to succeed
in an increasingly diverse and
global world.
A 2020 McKinsey report note
organisations in the top quartile
of cultural diversity were 36%
more profitable than those in
the bottom quartile.
Improving cultural competence
also impacts your bottom line in
the following ways:
Benefits of building
cultural competence
in your organisation
Increased awareness of individual strengths and abilities
With an increased understanding of culture differences,
there’s an increased appreciation of how those differences can
translate into skills and strengths at work.
New perspectives and approaches to solving problems
Cultural competence brings new perspectives that can invigorate workplace
discussions and lead to innovative ways of solving problems.
Greater empathy and better relationships between
employees
Promoting cultural awareness leads to improved relationships between your
employees, as they feel valued and respected by each other.
Better customer experience
Cultural competence also helps your team interact with customers from
different cultures, anticipate their needs better, and create more inclusive
customer experiences.
17. With our learning solutions, we provide customised soft skills and technical
training programmes, including cultural engagement and leadership
development, to develop your organisation’s cultural competence.
Whether it’s one course or an entire training program, we offer tailored
programmes to drive your organisational performance..
To partner with us today, kindly send an email
to hello@workforcegroup.com.
Scale the advantage…