Developing Intercultural
Awareness and Competency
Presenter: Charleon A. Jeffries
cxj164@psu.edu
2015
Welcome!
Today’s session will help you to develop strategies to work
more effectively with those whose cultures are different
from their own by:
 Identifying components of cultural competence.
 Exploring areas of intercultural difference.
 Developing an awareness of personal areas of difference
or diversity.
 Growing awareness of personal styles for encountering
or managing differences.
 Identifying strengths and areas for development around
diversity and inclusion.
Cultural Competence IS…
Awareness
Skill
Knowledge
Cultural Competence is NOT…
• Reductionism
– The whole is merely the sum of its parts
+
=
+
+
Cultural Competence is also NOT…
• Essentialism
– “Essentially all [insert noun] are…”
-
Tall
Leafy
Strong
Massive
Provide Shade
6
Agenda
• Awareness
– Affirmative Introspection
• Knowledge
– Dimensions of Diversity
– Intercultural Literacy
• Skill
– Social Architecting
Components of Cultural Competence
Awareness
 Understanding of self is key in
understanding how we view and
interact with others.
Knowledge
The more knowledge we have about
people of different cultures, the more
likely we are able to avoid stepping on
cross-cultural “toes.”
 Lens?
 Blind Spots?
Knowing how culture impacts problem
solving, managing people, asking for
help, etc. can keep us connected
Components of Cultural Competence
Attitude
Values & beliefs impact cross-cultural
effectiveness because they convey the
extent to which we are open to differing
values and opinions.
The stronger we feel about our V&B, the
more likely we will react emotionally
when they collide with cultural
differences
Skills or Behaviors
One can have the “right” attitude,
considerable self-awareness, and a lot of
knowledge about cultural differences, yet
still lack the ability to effectively manage
differences.
Skills are learned and then practiced in
order to be developed.
Awareness
Affirmative Introspection
What is Affirmative Introspection?
 Knowing what makes me tick
 Being comfortable in my own skin
 Being in tune with my own biases and hot buttons
What Makes Me Tick?
 Experiences and messages that have shaped your
values, philosophy of life & motivations behind your
behaviors
 Knowing what makes you tick helps you to
communicate more clearly who you are and why
you are responding in a certain way.
 You expand the range of your reactions and
responses for any number of situations
What’s In Your Box?
Formative Experience:
Importance:
Impact:
Feeling:
Learning:
Knowledge
Intercultural Literacy
Dimensions of Diversity
Adapted from Gardenswartz & Rowe,
Diverse Teams at Work: Capitalizing on
the Power of Diversity, SHRM (2003).
Exploring Intercultural Values
Core Cultural Values
 The principles or standards of importance to us that tell us
how we should behave based on queues and input from
our culture
Values
 Terminal
 Instrumental
Mapping your Cultural Orientation
Of the 8 pairs of cultural value comparisons on the
slides to follow, place an “X” along the continuum that
reflects your personal belief or orientation with those
values.
Time
Polychronic
Monochronic
 Time is an unlimited good
 Time is a precious commodity
 Take the time necessary to do what is
needed
 Time can/should not be wasted
 Life does not follow a clock
 Things will happen when they are
supposed/when people arrive
 Careful planning to ensure you arrive
at the expected time
Communication
Low Context/Direct
 Face-to-face conversations are
important
 Rely on the actual words exchanged
 Confrontation necessary and normal
 Not being forthright is dishonest
 Cannot build trust without direct,
face-to-face , honest communication
High Context/Indirect
 Allows space for other person to “save
face”
 Might have neutral third party
intervene in conflict
 Directness is rude/abrasive
 Rely on nonverbal cues
 Can be easily misunderstood
 People will extract the meaning
behind the context
 Allows people latitude to respond and
maintains harmony of the community
Primary Orientation
Individualist
 Primary importance is self
 May seek input from others, but
ultimately personal responsibility is
key
 Independence
 Mistakes reflect personally
Collectivist
 Primary importance of the group
 Decisions are made based on the
needs of the group
 Consultation is key
 Group Harmony
 Identity is a function of one’s group
membership
 Personal behavior reflects on the
entire group
Social Status
Egalitarian
 People should interact with each
other on a level playing field
 Differences exist, but should not be
Hierarchical
 Status differences should exist and
people should be treated according to
their standing
used as the basis for interacting with
 Refer to people by their titles
others
 Provides people a sense of place in
the world
Productivity
Task
 Motivated to be constantly doing
something
 “What do you do?”
 Gatherings centered around doing
something “going to…, playing…,”
 Vacations include excursions and
explorations
Relationship
 Who you are with is more important
than what you are doing
 Quality of interpersonal relationships
is important
 Tasks do not get in the way of
relationship
Conflict
Surfacing Differences
 All issues must be resolved
 No resolving conflict is to be
dishonest
 We can address our differences, and
move forward without detriment to
our working or personal relationship
Maintaining Harmony
 Prefer to deal with matters behind the
scenes
 Directness may be viewed as
confrontational or threatening
 Not everything requires a
conversation or intervention.
 We can have our differences and do
not need to address them.
Emotional Response
Expressive
 Emotions are a natural response to our
thoughts and feelings
 Tend to have physical contact in the
course of a conversation
 Generally easy to read how they are
feeling
Restrained
 Emotions are personal and private
 Physical contact may be uncomfortable
 May appear to have a flat affect
 Reading non-verbal, emotional cues may
be difficult
Responsibility
Being
 Destiny is a matter of fate – beyond
our control
 Distrust people who believe they can
control their own destiny
 Fate is in the hands of others (family,
government, higher being)
Doing
 What you do in life matters
 Must exercise what control you have
to make things happen
 Impatient with people who have
fatalistic attitudes
 Not doing all you can is irresponsible
Discussion
- Where are the areas of greatest strength for your
“unit”?
- What are some potential areas for conflict?
- How can we mitigate or navigate through some of
that conflict?
Behaviors & Skills
Social Architecting
Social Architecting
 Serving as a cultural interpreter
 Communicating effectively and resolving conflicts in
diverse settings
 Structuring a synergistic and compelling
environment
Serving as a Cultural Interpreter
 Understand the relationship between values and
behaviors
 Be aware of a “first reaction”
 Consider alternate points of view – suspend
immediate judgment
 Be willing to advocate for awareness and
understanding
Proverbs
“The early bird catches the worm”
– US Proverb
• Value:
• Behavior:
“The nail that sticks up gets hammered down”
- Japanese Proverb
• Value:
• Behavior
Communicating Through Conflict
 One size does NOT fit all
 Culture and diversity brings variation to
communication styles in multiple ways
 Style
 Content
 Non-Verbals
 What works for you vs What works for others
Closing Thoughts…
Awareness – Affirmative Introspection
You start with your lens
Knowledge – Intercultural Literacy
What do I know about “other-ness”
What do I need/want to know
Behaviors/Skills – Social Architecting
Bringing people together
Questions?
Charleon A. Jeffries
Coordinator, Diversity Education
Affirmative Action Office
328 Boucke Bldg
(814) 863-0471
cxj164@psu.edu