Public administration refers to the enforcement of policies and academic structures that prepare civil servants before they venture into public service. It is dynamic because the needs of the community regularly change and public administration has a responsibility to keep up. If they lag behind, their services will not be efficient and practical for the community that depends on them. The current issue that public administration is concerned with is diversity. The American population is now more diverse than ever regarding race, culture, and age. Therefore, the public administration must provide a structure and services that accommodate the cultural, language and social needs of the demographic. Such an inclusive approach is referred to as cultural competence. Theoretically, the public administration suggests they are competent. However, a cultural competence assessment is required to determine if the demand for comprehensive services are met and maintained as well.
Cultural competence is crucial for various reasons. First, it unites people from different cultures and backgrounds. Cultural competence is only executed through understanding the many ethnic and racial groups and putting together public administration approaches that cater to their needs ( Ang, & Van Dyne, 2015) . It steps away from the traditional ‘one size fits all’ approach to public administrations and takes an accommodative approach where treatment and medication are available regardless of race or skin color. Thus, cultural competence brings people together because they feel understood. Secondly, cultural competence bridges the gap between minority and non-minority groups. Unfortunately, the past institutions of slavery and racism guaranteed that minority groups were denied proper public administration and the results of this segregation are evident today. However, cultural competence closes this gap and guarantees that individuals from all backgrounds receive quality administration. The policies in public administration ensure that the difference based on unfair discrimination practices is repaired. Therefore, future generations have equal opportunity for better leadership and policies.
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One theory that calls for cultural competency in public administration is that cultural competency ensures any organization or department can formulate effective strategies to meet demographic needs. Every field, including public administration, has to serve an evolving population. Previously, it was acceptable to ignore minority groups and focus on the broader demographics. However, these neglected teams have found their voice and used their platforms to demand better treatment. Consequently, by creating strategies that accommodate the cultural, language and social needs of all ethnic communities, public administration embrace cultural competence and serves the American population efficiently ( Johnson & Borrego, 2009) . Additionally, cultural competence allows the public administration to maximize on a diverse group in the strategy formulation process. To implement proper cultural strategies, the field must consult professionals from the different demographic groups they want to serve. As a result, people from all backgrounds have an opportunity to become leaders in public administration and make decisions that impact their communities positively.
Based on this theory, adopting cultural competence ensure public administration can meet the need of the future. In 2030, it is expected that 67% of children will be mixed and thus there will be significant growth in the population of minority groups ( Brown et al., 2016) . This increase in diversity is mainly due to globalization and increased interaction of people from many geographical areas. Consequently, the field must have a structure that accounts for the varying needs and facilitates the well-being of the diverse community. Not only will this distinct change reflect in the population, but also in the staff that promotes activities in public administration. For this reason, the field should actively meet the cultural needs on an internal and external level. This approach will reflect immensely on how the area handles arising cultural issues in their real of operations.
The customized statements in the cultural competence assessment indicate specific cultural dimensions. For example, the personalized statementon public administrators is a reflection on the importance of cultural sensitivity. In this statement, two public administrators take different approaches to the same issue. While Mr. Norris did not take time to consult his employees on their concerns, Richard the Employment Manager ensured he had regular meetings where employees aired their concern and thus he was able to represent them. Evidently, Richard understood cultural sensitivity which stands for being aware of the similarities and differences without assigning value. He deliberately listened to his employees concerns with an aim to accommodate their worries and suggestions. Therefore, he was in a better position to lead and speak on their behalf. However, Mr. Norris ignored this essential cultural concept and thus cannot be trusted with the fate of his employees. This is an example for all public administrators to take a sensitive cultural approach.
In the customized statement concerning environmental awareness, Leon and Richard exhibit cultural awareness. This is when individuals are well-informed on the challenges in the organizations and explore strategies based on the details at hand. The first option the managers suggest is filling the vacancies within the company with existing employees. The managers are aware of their employee's skills and how the organization can leverage them instead of downsizing. However, they are also informed of the challenges their solution causes such as resentment from colleagues. Despite the fact that the decision to downsize or not is difficult, the managers express cultural awareness on their people’s skills, employee concerns and possible responses to their choices. This understanding reveals cultural competency and ensures the managers know what to expect after making a decision that suits the organization as well as the staff that works for them.
In reference to the intercultural relationships, it is concerning that the managers do not invest in cultural action. It was expected that the managers would consult with the employees due to the severe decisions that faced them. They did not include the 24 employees who would possibly lose their jobs in the discussion on whether to keep them on or downsize them. The appropriate cultural action would demand that they have a meeting with these employees, help them understand the financial situation that the company is going through and the options that seemed viable. Additionally, the employees would have a chance to discuss their concerns or offer solutions that proved beneficial to the company and them as well. As much as the discussion between the management was effective and yielded options, expanding the discussion group would help generate more ideas and minimize the anxiety among employees.
Cultural knowledge among the managers played a role in how they dealt with the problem. Cultural knowledge is the idea that individuals are informed of the implications of their decisions on others and the role of those around them ( Sperry, 2012) . The managers showed cultural knowledge in their consultations with each other and their attempt at positive solutions for the problem at hand. However, they were not knowledgeable of their responsibility to their employees. The three leaders did not give their staff members an opportunity to understand the problem or offer solutions. They took on full responsibility and missed out on the possible strategies that their employees would have offered. Therefore, they did not maximize the diversity that their work environment has to offer and 24 employees will lose their positions due to lack of consultation. This serves as a lesson to public administrators that they must take time to consider the opinions of those who are impacted by their decisions.
The findings of this cultural competency assessment indicated that the public administrators have a sense of cultural dimensions but fail in some areas of cultural competency. Notably, the strengths of the administrators and weaknesses differ as well. For instance, while Richard is culturally sensitive, Mr. Norris is not. On the other hand, they both show they are culturally aware but do not know how to take cultural action. This is an indication that cultural competence is not a priority in their field and poses concerns for those within the organization. It is paramount that these administrators find a strategy that always accommodates all personnel in their field. This approach would ease the tension of the situation and ensure that the organization runs on a united effort and that employees do not turn against each other or their managers.
From the findings, there are two recommendations that would assist the public administration organization in the future. The first suggestion is that these managers should take a more transparent approach in the future. Evidently, the issue at hand made management feel vulnerable and desperate. Consequently, they were under pressure to make the right decision and they felt the need to do so without the input of their employees. Such an approach only creates resentment and anxiety within the work place. These are two negative emotions that infect a work environment and make it toxic. Therefore, they should embrace the dimensions of cultural competence that challenge them to involve the human resource around them in coming up with solutions that are relevant and applicable to the issue. It is necessary to have a transparent and inclusive process that honors the contribution of diverse people because employees will not harbor resentment if they were part of the conversation.
Another recommendation for the public administrators is accountability. Maintaining cultural competence in every decision-making process is not easy. Nobody is perfect, and thus the employees cannot blame their managers for not fully executing cultural competence. For this reason, the managers should have written policies and procedures that ensure a culturally competent environment within the work-place. This written document would only serve as a guide that allows the managers to keep track of how culturally competent they are through the entire process. Both employees and managers should be involved in creating a cultural competency manual that ensures in the future all parties take time to consider each other’s role and contribution in the matter ( Betancourt et al., 2016) . The document would create a foundation that holds all persons accountable and helps them maximize the diverse community within the workplace. In fact, such methods of accountability should be encouraged in all fields.
In conclusion, cultural competency guarantees that all organizations cater to the social, cultural and language needs of all employees. Additionally, it ensures that decision-making discussions are thoroughly exhausted by taking on the opinions and suggestions of a diverse group. Cultural competence is crucial because it bridges any social gaps within the workplace and gives all individuals a voice. Therefore, it should not be replaced by any mediocre practices that encourage the dismissal of other’s opinions. In many cases, the concept of cultural competence is ignored, and this creates an environment where employees fell unsatisfied with their work. Therefore, this case study motivates all fields to explore decisions from an all-inclusive perspective and benefit from putting different minds and attitudes together to solve an issue. Often, such inclusivity reduces the pressure of the problem because once communication is flowing there is an ease and understanding in the air as employees await the big decision.
References
Johnson and Borrego's (2009), " Public Administration and the Increased Need for Cultural Competencies in the Twenty-First Century ," from Administrative Theory & Praxis , volume 31, issue 2, pages 206–221.
Sperry (2012), " Cultural Competence: A Primer ," from The Journal of Individual Psychology , volume 68, issue 4, pages 310–320
Brown, E. A., Bekker, H. L., Davison, S. N., Koffman, J., & Schell, J. O. (2016). Supportive care: Communication strategies to improve cultural competence in shared decision making: Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology , CJN-13661215.
Ang, S., & Van Dyne, L. (2015). Handbook of cultural intelligence : Routledge.
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., Carrillo, J. E., & Owusu Ananeh-Firempong, I. I. (2016). Defining cultural competence: a practical framework for addressing racial/ethnic disparities in health and health care. Public health reports .
