Changing your workplace culture is not an easy task. It requires a clear vision, a strong commitment, and a collaborative approach. But why is it important to do so? And how can you use cultural competency models to guide your efforts? In this article, we will explore these questions and offer some practical tips to help you create a more inclusive, respectful, and productive work environment.
Workplace culture is the set of values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors that shape how people interact, communicate, and perform in an organization. It influences everything from employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention, to customer service, innovation, and reputation. Workplace culture is not static, but dynamic and evolving, influenced by internal and external factors such as leadership, strategy, policies, diversity, market trends, and social issues.
An example of workplace culture is getting to know your community, workers, and the environment. For example, our workplace and the community we serve is predominantly Spanish speaking and many have immigrated to our city. We recognize and celebrate this workplace culture in many ways. One example is when we have events and meetings that we order food for, we purchase the food from local Spanish vendors.
Changing your workplace culture can have multiple benefits for your organization and its stakeholders, such as enhancing your competitive advantage, fostering a culture of learning, reducing conflicts and misunderstandings, improving performance and outcomes, and increasing social responsibility. This can be achieved by attracting and retaining diverse talent, customers, and partners; encouraging different perspectives, feedback, and collaboration; promoting respect, empathy, and dialogue; aligning your culture with your vision, mission, and goals; and addressing the needs and expectations of your communities.
I've seen how crucial comprehensive employee support is for workplace culture. A former divorce client of mine struggled at work due to her personal crisis. Without an employee assistance program (EAP), she had to take time off for counseling and legal matters, causing project delays and team stress. Her productivity dropped, and she eventually left her job. This experience showed me that a supportive culture goes beyond diversity and company goals. It recognizes employees as whole people with complex lives. An EAP could have provided confidential support that helped her navigate her divorce while maintaining work performance. Investing in employee support systems is essential for a healthy workplace culture.
Cultural competency is the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds, identities, and experiences. It involves not only knowledge and awareness, but also skills and attitudes that enable you to communicate, collaborate, and adapt in diverse situations. Cultural competency is not a fixed state, but a continuous process of learning and development that requires curiosity, openness, and reflection.
Cultural competency is a critical foundational piece in developing a healthy workplace culture. When organizations are intentional about making cultural competency a core value, its effects are felt not only within amongst employees, but public-facing with clients, vendors, and community stakeholders. Employees who feel seen and respected are more likely to go above and beyond what is asked of them. They also tend to have a more vested interest in the success of the organization, and they stay longer. Employers who invest in workplace culture consultants like Tarai Alexander, LLC to keep their cultural competency fresh have a higher overall satisfaction rating because they commit to learning in this ever-changing society.
Cultural competency models are frameworks that can help you assess your current level of cultural competency, identify areas for improvement, and provide guidance on how to develop and apply your cultural competency in various contexts and scenarios. There are many models available, such as the Bennett Model which describes six stages of intercultural sensitivity, from denial and defense to integration and adaptation. The DMIS Model builds on the Bennett Model by adding a seventh stage of intercultural competence. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is a tool that measures your intercultural competence based on the DMIS Model and provides feedback and recommendations for your growth. Lastly, the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) Model defines four dimensions of cultural intelligence: cognitive, motivational, behavioral, and metacognitive. It also offers a self-assessment and a development plan to enhance your CQ.
Using cultural competency models can help you change your workplace culture in several ways. You can assess your current culture to identify its strengths and weaknesses, define a desired workplace culture and set goals, develop a strategy for changing the culture that involves all levels of the organization, implement an action plan and monitor progress with the models as benchmarks, and evaluate your impact and celebrate achievements. Changing your workplace culture is an ongoing journey that requires commitment, collaboration, and cultural competency. By relying on these models as tools and guides, you can make your workplace culture more aligned with your values, vision, and goals, and more responsive to the needs of all stakeholders.
I agree that cultural competency is important, however it is not the end of the road. Cultural Humility is an important piece of this work. We can and should learn about these topics, we can acknowledge that no person will ever be competent in another culture or every culture. Practicing and maintaining cultural humility helps us remember that DEI, antiracism, psychological safety, etc. are all verbs, not an en-goal or noun. This work is a life long journey and a continuum of learning and even sometimes un-learning.