Courageous Conversations
An Introduction to
Cultural Proficiency
What is Cultural Proficiency?
 Created by Terry Cross
 A model for dealing with differences
 The values and behavior of individuals and the policies and
practices of organizations that enable them to work
effectively in a variety of cultural settings
A Definition of Culture
 The beliefs, values, customs and traditions shared by a
people
 Cultures can be tied to race, ethnicity, social class, gender,
geography, language, ability, occupation, organization, and
nationality
 Most people belong to more than one cultural group
 Most people identify most strongly with one or two cultures
Dominant Culture
Dominant Culture is one whose values, language, and ways of behaving
are imposed on a subordinate culture or cultures through economic or
political power.
This may be achieved through legal or political suppression of other sets
of values and patterns of behaviour, or by monopolizing the media of
communication.
(Dictionary of Sociology, Oxford Reference Online)
What are your cultures?
•
Take a few minutes to identify the
cultural groups that shape and
inform your worldview and daily
interactions.
•
What cultural groups do you belong
to that may be perceived as a
problem to others?
The Cultural
Proficiency
Continuum
Use the continuum
to describe
language,
situations, or
events.
 Cultural Proficiency
 Cultural Competence
 Cultural Pre-Competence
 Cultural Blindness
 Cultural Incapacity
 Cultural Destruction
Cultural Destruction
See the difference, stomp it out; the elimination of
people’s cultures
 Holocaust during WWII in Europe
 Bureau of Indian Affair Schools in the early 20th
century
Cultural Incapacity
See the difference, make it wrong; belief in the
superiority of one’s culture and behavior that
disempowers another’s culture
 Jim Crow laws in the American South during the 20th
century
 Tokenism – hiring one or two individuals of minority
groups to prove that the organization is open and
inclusive
Cultural Blindness
See the difference, act like you don’t; acting as if the
cultural differences that you see do not matter, or not
recognizing that there are differences among and
between cultures
 Assuming all Asian cultures are alike
 Teaching that Abraham Lincoln is a hero to all
African Americans
 Belief that we are living in a post-racism world
Cultural Pre-competence
See the difference, respond inadequately; awareness of
the limitation of one’s skills or an organization’s
practices when interacting with other cultural groups
 Serving soul food meal during Black History month
to demonstrate cultural proficiency
 Dismissing as overly sensitive someone who
complains about culturally inappropriate comments
Cultural Competence
See difference, understand the difference that
difference makes
Uses these principles to guide individual and/or
community interactions with other cultural groups:
 Assessing culture
 Valuing diversity
 Managing the dynamics of difference
 Adapting to diversity
 Institutionalized cultural knowledge
Cultural Proficiency
See the difference and respond positively and
affirmingly
Someone who has the capacity to teach and learn
about differences in ways that acknowledge and
honor all the people in the groups they represent
Examples along the Continuum
•
Think of situations you have
observed, conversations you
have heard, or experiences you
h a v e h a d i n y o u r p r o f e s s i on al
experience.
•
Where would you plot those
examples on the continuum?
Plot your Examples
Upward Spiral Conversation
Incapacity
Destructiveness
Pre-Competence
Blindness
Downward Spiral Conversation
Proficiency
Competence
On Your Notecard
Answer the following question:
Where would you place your library/OLA/or your
work as a professional on the Cultural Proficiency
Continuum, and why?
References
This presentation draws upon the following resources, in particular, the power
point presentation, Introduction to Cultural Proficiency, listed below.
"dominant culture." A Dictionary of Sociology. John Scott and Gordon Marshall. Oxford
University Press 2009. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Clatsop
Community College. 10 April
2009 <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t88
.e634>
Lindsey, Randall B.,Kikanza Nuri Robins, and Raymond D. Terrell. Cultural Proficiency: A
Manual for School Leaders. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Corwin Press, Inc., 2003.
Robins, Kikanza Nuri . Introduction to Cultural Proficiency. 2008. 10 April 2009. 10 May
2006 <http://www.masc.org/images/Intro_to_Cult_Prof%5B1%5D.ppt>.