In today’s global society, where
people are connected with each other and workplaces have become diverse with
people from different cultural backgrounds, it is important for everyone to
understand the essence of cultural competence. Cultural competence is an
important concept, not only to get an idea about one’s own culture but also
about the culture and views of people from other cultures. When an individual
will be able to develop the ability to understand different aspects of
cultures, then he/she can comply with different cultural norms and values,
which is important for people to survive in different cultures. It is also
important with regards to workplaces because the global business landscape is
bringing a diverse workforce, which is asking to understand the concept of
cultural competence. The people from different cultural backgrounds can work
together in an effective manner if they understand the norms and values related
to each other’s cultures. This awareness will allow them to show behavior,
which complements the culture of each other (Encyclopedia.com, 2019)
So, it is mentioned above that
cultural competence is a crucial concept, and it is becoming more indispensable
in a global environment. Therefore, it is vital for individuals and societies
to develop cultural competence in the best possible way. If a person is looking
to become culturally competent, then he/she can adopt different strategies to
do so. The first step in developing cultural competence is to develop the
essence of awareness. This awareness can be developed by realizing one’s own
stereotypes, personal bias as well as prejudices. Moreover, a person should
acquire more knowledge about the topic. The knowledge of one’s own culture is
important that how people view culture, and it can only be done, when more and
more cultures are studied. If you want to learn about other cultures, then do
attend their cultural events and festivals so that you can analyze their norms,
values, and behaviors. The other important thing to develop cultural competence
is to exchange information with people from different cultures so that you both
can understand each other cultures. There are so many variables and aspects
associated with cultural competence, so one has to know about each variable and
its importance in the cultural context. These are some of the considerable
methods to develop cultural competence; otherwise, it will always be a
difficult thing to involve in cultural exchange (Dixon, 2014)
After looking at different
aspects as well as the importance of cultural competence, it can be said that
the concept of cultural competence is critical in so many ways. In today’s
global world, where different cultures are interacting with each other and
people from different cultural backgrounds are doing jobs at diverse
workplaces, the need for developing the essence of cultural competence is
increasing, and this need will continue to grow in the future as well. So,
cultural competence will be important to survive in the future global
landscape, and different above-mentioned strategies should be adopted to do
this.
References on How to Develop Cultural Competence
Dixon, Deborah. How to Develop—and Apply—Your
Cultural Competence. 2014. 31 October 2019.
<https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/full/10.1044/leader.SCM.19112014.26>.
Encyclopedia.com. Cultural
Competence. 2019. 31 October 2019.
<https://www.encyclopedia.com/food/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/cultural-competence>.