Cultural Diversity Competency

Cultural Diversity Competency

Tiffany Nicole Cooper

PSYC/3540

May 26, 2013

Mrs. Wallace

Capella University

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 culture has its own set of rules and guidelines to follow when it comes to communication. Even facial expressions and...