Why Cultural Competency Matters
Diversity has many forms and layers. We recognize diversity in race, gender, age, sexual orientation, parental status, religious beliefs, and so on. One dimension that affects everyone is the cultural reference that frames our values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. Our cultural perspective influences the way we think, interact, and make choices.
The Cost When Differences Divide
In the workplace cultural differences, especially when compounded by language barriers, can prevent employees from realizing their individual and group potential. When individuals are unable to bridge their differences, organizational success is hindered by:
The work of BBA has been valuable to us because of the company's ability to work with a diverse population which includes all levels of personnel. Our return on investment is evident by staff retention and our reputation for service excellence.
Janett Hunter
Grants Manager
Montefiore Medical Center
- Misunderstood communications.
- Poor morale and high staff turnover.
- Grievances filed against supervisors and managers.
- Inconsistent or substandard customer service.
Workers’ cultural backgrounds and expectations - social, political and occupational - have the potential to enrich the organizational climate and make organizations more competitive. Before such benefits can be realized, business practices must be updated to reflect workers’ diversity, and individuals must learn to deal effectively with their differences in the workplace.
The Benefits of Cultural Competency
Staff and patients in New York area hospitals hail from every corner of the world. Cultural differences among staff, and between staff and patients, present major challenges in healthcare delivery that can only be addressed by developing cultural competency.
Consider the benefits for a culturally competent organization:
- Comply with Federal mandates and standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS).
- Leverage workforce diversity to improve business results.
- Improve patient satisfaction and Press-Gany scores.
- Reduce cross-cultural conflicts and grievances among staff.
Cultural competency is not a luxury. It’s an imperative for organizations that want to thrive. By understanding diversity from a cultural perspective, organizations can enhance the way they create and provide services, successfully recruit and retain productive workers, and realize results both on the bottom line and in day-to-day human activity.
BBA has led numerous training initiatives throughout Mt. Sinai Hospital, including the Emergency Room, Central Sterile Processing, Security and Nursing. During the Needs Assessment and Design process, they reached out to management as well as union employees. Their efforts created a welcoming environment and encouraged individuals of diverse backgrounds to take part in the programs. Joanne Bunuan
Field Coordinator
1199 Training and Upgrading Fund
Cultural Competency Program Description
Building Bridges Instead of Boundaries
Brown, Brown & Associates (BBA) specializes in organizational development within culturally diverse and unionized environments. We take a unique approach that promotes cultural competency by increasing awareness and understanding of individual human behaviors that cross cultural boundaries.
We invite people to find common ground for success and team success at work. Our process improves overall organizational performance by increasing cultural competency across the board - in daily staff interactions, labor-management collaboration, grievance arbitration, and patient care.
We offer a comprehensive Cultural Competency Development Process with guaranteed results. This program is based on proven methodology and principles, tailored for each organization’s unique needs to:
- Assess and implement cultural competency training.
- Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.
- Comply with federal standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health care.
- Monitor and evaluate program initiatives and outcomes.
Cultural Competency: Connecting People for Success
BBA is among the first in our industry to integrate federal CLAS mandates and standards as a part of a comprehensive Cultural Competency curriculum. Our process consists of three core phases:
Phase I: 3-Day Planning Retreat
A cross-functional leadership team leaves this three-day retreat with an Action Plan to address the diversity issues identified by a needs assessment performed by BBA prior to the off-site session. For health care institutions, the action plan addresses all 14 CLAS standards.
Phase II: Curriculum Customization
We work with clients to refine the core curriculum to meet the organization’s specific situation and develop a training plan to reach every employee so benefits begin to be realized as quickly as possible.
Phase III: Program Implementation
Our goal is to enable individuals to work more effectively in cross-cultural interactions by developing new approaches to communication and behavior modification. In a full-day session, participants explore knowledge, acceptance, behavior and understanding, within the context of how we interact as human beings first, then within the context of cultural differences.
Optimal class size is generally 25 participants, co-facilitated by two trainers to maximize interactivity and learning. BBA can implement training around multiple work shifts and multiple locations. We also work with our clients to develop sustainable, ongoing goals and interim and post-program evaluation processes.
Call us at (516) 643-6557 or to discuss scheduling a Cultural Competency Program for your organization.
Our Medical Center, located in an inner city multi-cultural neighborhood, recognized the need to train our workforce to better understand each others' culture and most importantly, how to relate and care for our patients in a more meaningful way.
We interviewed several firms who specialize in this training and identified BBA as the best fit for our Medical Center. Our Leadership group found the delivery and content to be quite challenging and eye-opening. Accordingly we began a mandatory training initiative which included physicians and employees at all levels within our Medical Center, both unionized as well as managerial. This program received overwhelmingly positive results for Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.
Fred Eisgrub, Vice President — Human Resources
Wyckoff Heights Medical Center
