Embracing Cultural Competency:
A Roadmap for Nonprofit Capacity Builders
Beth Applegate, Principal
Applegate Consulting Group
Brigette Rouson, Principal
Rouson Associates
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Should I dive into the
“cultural competency” pool?
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Who is here and what has been your
experience in this area?
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How many are currently or have had a cultural
competency nonprofit client engagement before?
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What drew you to this session?
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How many are here in their role as…
internal consultants?
board members?
external consultants
executive directors?
staff members?
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Principles of Respectful Engagement
•Make room in the conversation for everyone
•Be aware of intent and impact
•Value differences
•Try it on
•Step up, Step back
•Practice “both, and” thinking
•Make your discomfort your ally
•Everyone is right but partially
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Capacity Building/OD to What End?
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OD Practitioners hold a wide variety of visions
and missions, personal and professional
values.
Authors of our book that the boundaries and
context of the field of OD and capacity building
are inextricably linked to advancing social
justice, equity, democratic processes and
empowerment values.
OD/Capacity Building to What End?
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Co-Authors are clear when asked the question:
“OD/Capacity Building to what end?”
The answer is clear: We work in the field of
OD/Capacity Building in service of creating a
just society – one that is healthier and more
vibrant – and improving the human condition.
Culturally Competent Mental
Models
The mental model, which frames our role with client systems, is
rooted in three commitments:
1.
To support client systems in their efforts to become healthier and
more vibrant;
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2.
To increase client systems’ consciousness about the historical
context of societal –isms affecting their health, and
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To increase client systems’ ability and willingness to make
choices that advance system health and promote social justice
by recognizing the interconnectedness between the individual,
organization and society.
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What is Cultural Competency?
Write Your Own Definition
 Take a minute now, to write your own definition
of cultural competency….
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Culturally Competent Capacity
Building
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Cultural Competent Capacity Building is a
community-centered process that begins with
an understanding of historical realities and an
appreciation of the community’s assets in its
own cultural context. The process should
enhance the quality of life, create equal access
to necessary resources, and partner with the
community to foster strategic and progressive
social change.
Culturally Competent
Capacity Building (continued)
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The 3 C’s
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Context: understanding historical and cultural
realties that relate to the current situation
Community: using a process that stays centered in
a group of people who face their own unique
challenges and possibilities
Change: altering conditions in ways that advance
equity for people and communities of color.
Cultural Competency and Use of
Self
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Values focused on myself as a change agent:
Being honest with myself; modeling honesty with
others; being authentic; joining my honesty with
curiosity.
Understanding and appreciating my own complexity.
Building awareness of my power and privilege, working
to level it, and building real equity in the group.
Cultural Competency and Use of
Self
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Building awareness of my assumptions.
Maintaining sensitivity to the fact that “I don’t
know what I don’t know.”
Walking the talk, being the change I want to be
in the world; believing and acting in possibility.
Being open to learning from others; continual
learning; knowing that every day is a learning
opportunity.
Cultural Competency and Use
of Self
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Looking for the love, caring, and connections that unite us.
Recognizing the complex picture of “what is”—the complexity of
multiple realities in a group that allows them to find and create
what they need.
Serving with excellence and integrity; leading by example and
being a person of my word.
Model listening with openness and compassion.
Maintaining my humanity in this work; ensuring that when folks
leave the room, their humanity is intact.
Culturally Competent Group
Facilitation
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Uncovering strength-based attributes, qualities, and core values
embodied in group work.
Understanding where others are coming from; not jumping to
conclusions.
Recognizing that we are all different; celebrating and embracing
those differences rather than seeing them as an obstacle.
Promoting participatory democracy and the involvement of each
individual in the life and direction of the organization.
Acknowledging power imbalances and creating space for voices
to be heard across different levels.
Self-Assessment in 3 Parts
My capacity to pay attention to the whole constellation of issues at play in a given
situation increases my capacity to address it in a culturally competent way.
It’s particularly important to assess three areas: what’s going on with me, what’s
going on in the room, and the historical context in which we are operating.
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What’s going on with me in the CBODN session today?
What am I wearing? How am I talking? Where am I looking?
What cultural lenses do I bring with me?
What language do I use? (code switching)
What are my first impressions of people?
What assumptions do my first impressions spark?
What’s Going on in the room?
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What’s going on in the room in this CBODN session today?
How are the seats arranged?
Who is sitting where?
Is there a plan for movement that stretches people beyond the
usual practice—and typical power relations?
Who speaks more, or with a greater sense of confidence?
Who speaks less, or more tentatively?
Who likely feels welcome? Who might not?
How am I working to bring equity into the room?
Where is the privilege in the room?
What Historical Issues are at play?
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What are the practices of CBODN as they relate to power and
privilege based on:
Race and ethnicity
Education
Class and socioeconomic status
Language
Immigration status and national origin
Gender, gender identity and sexual identity
Physical ability
Age and generation
Religion
Where are there likely points of internalized oppression?
Sources of Power
1.
Positional power that comes from organizational authority or
position (people providing OD technical support have this power)
-often forgotten by people with the power, rarely forgotten by
those without it.
2. Referred power that comes from connections to others (e.g., a
staff member without formal positional power but has known the
ED for years).
3. Expert power that comes from wisdom, knowledge, experience,
skills (e.g., someone is widely respected because of their skills
as an organizer).
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Sources of Power
4. Ideological power that comes from an idea, vision, or analysis. As
Victor Hugo said, "Nothing can with stand the power of an idea
whose time has come." It can be an original idea 'of an individual,
an ideal such as "democracy" or "liberation," or as a developed
ideology.
5. Obstructive power stemming from the ability to coerce or block
(i.e., whether implicit, threatened or demonstrated, those without
other sources of power may depend on it. Many activists are
experts in its use).
6. Personal power energy, vision, ability to communicate, capacity to
influence, emotional intelligence, psychological savvy, etc.
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Sources of Power
7. Co-powering an idea that comes from the Latino community
speaking to the responsibility for individual leaders to mindfully
work towards supporting the personal power of others through
modeling, validating and feedback.
8. Collaborative power that comes from our ability to join our
energies in partnership with others, in pairs, teams, organizations,
communities, coalitions and movements.
9. Institutional power economic, legal, and political power directly
wielded by institutions (e.g., whether a corporation or police
department, or one of your organizations). Exists apart from the
individuals who work there at any one time; name recognition,
membership, skill, etc.
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Sources of Power
10. Cultural power from the perspective of the dominant culture,
these are the cultural norms, conditioning, and privilege regarding
race/c1ass/gender/age (i.e., as with positional power, to the
dominant group this is often invisible. To those with less power, it
is a real and everyday experience). From the perspective of
oppressed peoples, cultural power is a consciousness of
community, class or culture that serves to empower.
11. Structural power covertly or implicitly exercised through the
dominant institutions of society (e.g., the resistance to alternative
medicine from the AMA and insurance providers, racism
expressed and maintained through structures such as red-lining
by lending institutions).
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Strategies for Addressing Power
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Orient new members sufficiently so there is less insider/outsider dynamic. Often
those who come late to the table haven't had the same opportunity to get to know
each other and the rest of the group.
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Increase the numbers of those with less power. Reach out and invite voices that
have not been heard previously or groups that have not been at the table.
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Make your process accessible to those whose power you want to increase by
changing meeting time and place, or by making sure there are transportation,
childcare, and even stipends. Those with power tend to be paid for their
participation in community building; those without power usually are not.
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Acknowledging the differential and asking everyone; those with more power and
those with less, to determine how it the differential can be addressed.
The intersection between capacity
building and cultural competency
Traditional/Siloed
Approach
Integrated Approach
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Governance
Financial Management
Fundraising
Human Resources
Programmatic
Information Technology
Facilities
Cultural Competency
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Governance/Cultural Competency
Finance Mgmt/Cultural Competency
Fundraising/Cultural Competency
Human Resources/Cultural Compet.
Programmatic/Cultural Competency
IT/Cultural Competency
Facilities/Cultural Competency
Culturally Competent OD Practices
These principles have been affirmed many times in our research and
serve as a framework for culturally competent or culturally based
OD.
1.
We understand, appreciate and utilize difference as a starting
point in the discussion.
2.
We fully engage all participants in decisions/processes that affect
them.
3.
We hold a commitment to moving through individual
interpersonal relationships to examining structures of oppression.
4.
We know that it requires a long-term investment; that it takes time
to build relationships.
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Culturally Competent OD
Practices
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Intentionally develop and maintain relationships with community
leaders and bridge builders across race, ethnicity, and culture
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Examine both the assets and needs of the particular groups of
people with whom you are working
7. Intentionally identify and address issues relevant to the particular
groups of people with whom you are working (e.g., history,
language, learning style, communication, gender roles, value
systems)
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Culturally Competent OD
Practices
8. Make the extra effort to reach out to and include members of a
particular group who often get left out
9. Routinely review your capacity-building materials (e.g., training
curricula, questionnaires, manuals) and delivery techniques with
members of the group with which you are working to ensure
sensitivity and effectiveness
10. Consistently pay attention to how your own assumptions and
cultural background could affect your interaction with other
people
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Culturally Competent OD Practices
11. We leave knowledge on the ground, supporting
sustainability.
12. We have a commitment to follow through and to name
the elephant(s) in the room.
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Examples
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A strategic planning question like: “How effective are we as an
organization in meeting the needs of _________ population?”
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A staff, volunteers question: “How effective are we at reflecting
and practicing cultural norms of our employees and volunteers?”
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A governance question: “In fulfilling our support functions as a
board, do we fund raise in culturally-appropriate ways for our
organization?”
Further characteristics of an
integrated approach
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Social change as the motivating force
Explore cultural location, i.e.. geography, history, socio-economic
background, religion, etc.
Sharing and building power
Modeling and facilitating learning
Breaking silence
Building principled relationships
Structuring engagements with a cultural lens
Competency and Worthiness
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Anyone with a commitment to cultural
competency values and the skill matching the
organization needs can become a “wave maker”
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Debrief, Q&A
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What’s available now to you that wasn’t
available before this workshop?
What one thing you’d like to try as a result of
this workshop?
Identify an accountability partner and share
contact information.
Our contact info
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Beth Applegate
www.applegateonline.com
Beth@applegateonline.com
301-563-7075
Brigette Rouson
brigette.rouson@gmail.com
202-46-2025 Office
202-421-8414 Mobile