Cultural Competency = Forced Extroversion

[HawaiianShirts]

I've had the same employer for about five years now. (Just got my 5-year certificate last week. No award--just a fancy-looking template-generated certificate in a cheapo plastic case.) During those five years, I've been forced to attend a training session of some kind on "Diversity" or "Cultural Competency" or "Intercultural Effectiveness" at least once a year. Might even be twice a year.

Anyway, I'm sick of it. I was sick of it ten minutes into the first one.

Cue ranting.

Every single one of these training sessions has boiled down to one very simple concept: People are different.



I get it! I understood that when I was five! Diversity doesn't matter to me because I don't care what another person's background is. I didn't care when I was a kid, and I don't care now.

It's not that I'm trying to discredit their personal situation. It's just that I don't think it should matter to me. Here's my thing: I work with people. I don't work with Christians and Buddhists and Atheists. I don't work with Europeans and Mexicans and Asians and Africans. I don't work with sexual orientations. I don't work with socioeconomic classes. I don't work with political preferences. I work with people! I try to treat them (co-workers, managers, customers, whatever) the way that I would like them to treat me, and I hope they do the same.

This attitude has always worked for me.

But upper management seems to want to change me. So they send me to these diversity trainings so I can learn to be more diverse (still don't know how that works). We watch some stupid video and have a discussion about how people are different but that's okay, and I go home fuming about wasted time.

Lately, it's been a bit different though. First, we had to take a survey to determine whether we were "culturally competent" or not. Apparently, the fact that I don't travel to foreign countries to experience other cultures means I'm not culturally competent. (I can't afford to travel out of my home state very often, let alone a foreign country.) And the fact that I'm not trying to learn a different language means that I'm not culturally competent. (I have two kids, a full-time job, and a house that is trying to torture me with constant upkeep; I don't have time to learn another language.) If I don't actively seek out new people to meet at parties, I'm not culturally competent. And so on. It really felt more like an introversion vs. extroversion scale than anything else. And I guess that my introverted nature will keep me from ever being "culturally competent."

And then there were the trainings with exercises that were little more than get-to-know-your-coworkers activities. And still the same conclusion: People are different.

But then they explained the expectation. I'm supposed to be aware of someone's cultural (or religious or racial or whatever else) background and adjust my behavior to take that into consideration. To do that, I'm supposed to predict a person's behavior based on what I can see of his or her physical or social traits and treat them according to my expectations based on my experience with other people of those traits. Isn't that stereotyping? Doesn't stereotyping lead to prejudice and discrimination?



Is anybody else having to put up with this crap?

[Teefies2]

But but but ..... if you're treating everyone the same how is that not "culturally competent"? Diversity training is all about treating each person the same, no matter what their race/religion/gender/sexual orientation, is it not?

[Aragarthiel]

So, they want you to learn another language, possibly to interact with customers from other countries. There are so many things wrong with that.

Let's say you learn Italian. Someone comes in who obviously speaks Italian and isn't good at English. By speaking in Italian, not only do you risk insulting them, but you deprive them of a chance to learn English like they have probably been trying very hard to do.

Then, you might run into someone who you assume would speak Italian (from their name, or they happen to use one Italian word (probably calling someone a name or using an endearing term they would be familiar with)), and they don't have a clue what you're saying.

[gremcint]

ask them if they are willing to pay for you to learn another language. It's like at my work where they want me to be up to date on all the new product features and everything and suggest (but not order) me to research, here's the thing. I don't work off the clock you want me to read up on what the new processors do then you better be ready to pay me.

Further ask what you've specifically done wrong, ask for examples, because honestly I think you could raise a stink to HR about this if you wanted to. Is everyone required to do these seminars?

[mjr]

During those five years, I've been forced to attend a training session of some kind on "Diversity" or "Cultural Competency" or "Intercultural Effectiveness" at least once a year. Might even be twice a year.

I worked at a company like that, too. And previous to that, I worked for a company who did some work for a LARGE company that had signs about diversity everywhere. I wanted to shove my finger down my throat.

Every single one of these training sessions has boiled down to one very simple concept: People are different.

Yep, but I think what bugs me the most, is they treat us like we're stupid during these training sessions. The condescension is so thick you could almost cut it with a knife.

We watch some stupid video and have a discussion about how people are different but that's okay, and I go home fuming about wasted time.

I get ticked because I feel like I'm being talked down to. The team I'm on at work is fairly diverse. My team lead is British (complete with accent!), I have an Indian lady on my left, a British guy on my right, a mixed-race guy sits across from me, and a Chinese lady sits to his left. We all work well together.

What usually happens is that with some people, you generally get a feel of what you can joke with them about and what you can't. Like the British guy who sits next to me. He and I will sometimes joke about a "British Invasion". I even showed him something related to baseball just the other day and said, "Look! It's American Cricket!"

He ribs me about not liking a lot of Comic Book stuff, I rib him about other things. It's no big deal.

First, we had to take a survey to determine whether we were "culturally competent" or not.

By the criteria you laid out, I'm not "culturally competent" either -- and I don't care. I took Spanish in High School years ago. I'm like you, though, I have a family and a full-time job. Those, along with other projects I'm working on (like school, working on an Android App, music, and so forth) take up a lot of my time.

To do that, I'm supposed to predict a person's behavior based on what I can see of his or her physical or social traits and treat them according to my expectations based on my experience with other people of those traits. Isn't that stereotyping? Doesn't stereotyping lead to prejudice and discrimination?

I can see how it could lead to discrimination, yes. However, what I THINK it's designed for is more of a CYA. It's also to let you know not to be offended (I guess) if someone does something in their culture that is acceptable to them, but may be offensive to you.

Here's a good example. My sophomore English teacher also taught French. She told us this story about how there was an exchange student in one of the classes. The student answered a question correctly, and the teacher gave the student the "OK" sign, like this:



But in the student's culture (I forget what it was), that was the equivalent of "giving someone the finger" (i.e. flipping them off).

I guess that's what it's for. Or that you shouldn't go snickering to Tom and Steve because Jim wears a dress to work once or twice a week. I don't know.

Is anybody else having to put up with this crap?

Not any more. But in my current position, I have to do "compliance training" every damn quarter. It sucks about as much as diversity training.

[KuariKaydrith]

'Diversity' seems to be a company buzzword that does not mean what most people in upper management thinks it means. And I have to do compliance training every quarter as well...not that I do more than skip through to the assessment portion of the training just to get it out of the way. At least the diversity training for us is self-directed and done entirely online - most of us treat it as a way to be off the phones for a while and will take our sweet time.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

But then they explained the expectation. I'm supposed to be aware of someone's cultural (or religious or racial or whatever else) background and adjust my behavior to take that into consideration. To do that, I'm supposed to predict a person's behavior based on what I can see of his or her physical or social traits and treat them according to my expectations based on my experience with other people of those traits. Isn't that stereotyping? Doesn't stereotyping lead to prejudice and discrimination?

The only effect I can see of this is to make people hyper aware of the cultural racial religious or whatever attributes of other people, and make them feel awkward around others because they are worried anything they may say or do could make someone of that **whatever description** upset.

I would say this is one of those misguided but well meaning programs, but I'm not even sure how anyone could mean this to go well.

[taxguykarl]

I would say this is one of those misguided but well meaning programs, but I'm not even sure how anyone could mean this to go well.

Like planned obsolescence, they stir the pot and offer new training

[Mikkel]

Tell them you are friends with a lot of culturally diverse people on the internet
I suppose Danes, New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans and British, to mention those I remember, count as culturally diverse.
Join the Christmas card list next year and show management the exotic Christmas cards from all over the world.

[raudf]

I lived in Iceland for two years. That doesn't make me culturally "competent" either. Two years on what is basically an isolated bit of America in Iceland isn't experiencing a culture.

Languages I know how to get myself into trouble with are many. Doesn't make me culturally competent. It makes me a jerk (Curse words are the first things any kid will learn in another language, after all. Got back from Iceland and I could say "shit" in front of my teachers and not get into trouble. After all, skeetas are just biting insects here! )

I have no idea what would make someone culturally competent by those idiot standards, because I was the one that would help the foreign exchange students with their English and learn MORE curse words in MORE languages... (I lost count of how many languages don't have separate words for "make" and "do." Explaining the difference became a "When you do something, you aren't creating. Making is creating. 'You do homework, while the teacher makes it.'"

[morgana]

Tell them you are friends with a lot of culturally diverse people on the internet
I suppose Danes, New Zealanders, Australians, South Africans and British, to mention those I remember, count as culturally diverse.
Join the Christmas card list next year and show management the exotic Christmas cards from all over the world.

You know, I'd love to see the faces of the people calling you "culturally incompetent" if you actually did this . . .

Wonderful idea, Mikkel.

[HawaiianShirts]

Join the Christmas card list next year and show management the exotic Christmas cards from all over the world.

I did join the Christmas list two years in a row a while back! I think I still have the cards from 2013. I should dig them out and take them with me to the next diversity training...

I would say this is one of those misguided but well meaning programs, but I'm not even sure how anyone could mean this to go well.

And the scary thing is that I seem to be the only person who sees that this one is even worse than the usual trainings because it's sending the wrong message. Which means that I'm misinterpreting something or that every one of my co-workers is blinded by the buzzwords.

Ask them if they are willing to pay for you to learn another language.
...
Is everyone required to do these seminars?

That's not a bad idea. I may ask about the language thing. My co-worker got to take an Excel class on paid time (I don't know if the class was paid for).

And, yes, everyone is required to do these things. Every year. Or more. And every year, it's touted as some great idea, some new breakthrough material, that will make us all appreciate other cultures better, communicate with each other and our customers better, and have a more "diverse" workforce. (How can a class provide a more diverse workforce? Doesn't that require hiring a greater variety of people?)

But but but ..... if you're treating everyone the same how is that not "culturally competent"? Diversity training is all about treating each person the same, no matter what their race/religion/gender/sexual orientation, is it not?

That's what I thought, too. Not according to this latest round of training.

Upper management hired an outside consultant for this one. I think he and his co-presenter are either stupid or scamming us. The latest survey, in preparation for our next group training session, concluded with the question: "If you were to present a cultural competency training to your colleagues, what would you share with them, and what would you want them to learn?" Sounds to me like they have no ideas and are trying to get us to supply the training material.

[Food Lady]

It's another example of companies trying to tell employees how to feel and think. Why are they so concerned about what goes on in our heads? That's my personal space and what goes on there is my business. All they should be concerned about is what comes out of your mouth and how you do your job.

[MoonCat]

It's part CYA, part "OMG there's a federal thing we have to be in compliance with" and part "Look how progressive we are!"

Sounds like they're doing the shallowest version possible, though. No real substance. And way too many assumptions.

I haven't been outside the country for years, despite living within spitting distance of Canada. I don't speak another language (unless you count all the Polish words for food that I know ) and I don't know many people who were born outside the U.S. I'm an introvert and don't like to be around lots of people no matter where they're from. I'd love to travel but I can't afford it. I guess I'm not "culturally competent" either, but somehow, I don't see it as negatively impacting my life that much.

[XCashier]

And, yes, everyone is required to do these things. Every year. Or more. And every year, it's touted as some great idea, some new breakthrough material, that will make us all appreciate other cultures better,

Want to appreciate other cultures? Go to local cultural festivals! They're a fun way to learn about other cultures. But I'd bet your company isn't willing to fork out the $$$ to send you all to the next cultural festival.

and have a more "diverse" workforce. (How can a class provide a more diverse workforce? Doesn't that require hiring a greater variety of people?)

Pretty much, yes. So if they don't hire folks of other cultures, that kind of kiboshes the whole thing.