Cultural assessment is essential for ensuring proper functioning of an organization comprised of multi-cultural leaders and staff. It refers to the process of examining individuals, groups and communities in order to identify their cultural values, beliefs and practices as a prerequisite to identifying their needs, expectations and appropriate interventions for the competent functioning of a multi-cultural organization (Shen, 2015). To achieve this in a more effective way, this paper presents cultural assessment tools that can be used to assess organizational culture so as to identify cultural gaps to be addressed through effective leadership styles and techniques. Further, this paper describes the influence of the social culture of the group on the group outcomes and productivity as well as its overall influence on the greater organizational culture.
Description of Available Cultural Tools
For cultural competency professional development, I would use the following cultural assessment tools in the new organization to identify the gaps that need to be addressed.
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Cultural competence self-test - this tool is used to measure cultural competency in the physical environment and other factors related to culture such as communication styles, materials and resources, values, attitudes and norms of various members of the organization. I would use this tool to identify organizational team members who are familiar with the physical environment and other elements of culture to help in the orientation of those who are not familiar in order to develop a culturally competent team.
Project implicit- this assessment tool is used to assess whether or not a member of the organization has a hidden bias between members of a particular race, ethnic group, gender or any other social group. The tool uses two short questionnaires after which an individual is asked to sort words and pictures into specific categories. It is usually designed to take place within ten minutes.
I would use this tool to identify members of the team with specific biases against certain cultural practices and help them to overcome their biases for the benefit of the organization.
American Culture Awareness Quiz - this quiz presents questions entailing the culture of people living in the US. It is based on the premise that while we may think we know ourselves, our level of awareness may not be as much as we would like to think.
I would use this tool to assess team members with a US cultural background to identify team members who understand their culture and encourage them to embrace positive values of their culture within the organization.
Cultural Competence Checklist - It is a tool that is used to increase awareness of how an employee views or perceives clients from distinct and culturally diverse populations.
I would use this tool to help team members improve their own understanding of themselves in regard to how they perceive others in the working environment.
Having applied the above discussed tools to assess team members’ cultural competencies; I would identify members with similar deficits in cultural competence and provide opportunities for them to interact with each other using both formal and informal avenues. This would help to achieve an organization and working environment that is culturally competent.
How my leadership style and techniques will be influenced by the social culture and diversity of the group
My leadership style is American-based. It relies on the American culture and way of leading. All the techniques I apply in leadership have been nurtured in the US. I am an emotional leader who deals with clients and employees in accordance with their distinct personalities. Since most of my former employees and clients have been Americans, I have developed a way of leading them that reflects American culture. Moving in a new organization would impact on my leadership style in different ways. First, I will meet clients and employees with a different background. This would mean that I adjust my leadership style to balance between their expectations and my expectations. I would also have to uphold unconditional positive regard (UPR) as I encounter new team members. This is because UPR is the most successful way of understanding and meeting the needs and expectations of the clients (Medows, 2014).
How the social culture of this group will likely influence workplace outcomes and productivity of the group
Important workplace outcomes required in a working environment include self awareness, emotional expression, self-management, management of others, critical thinking, among other outcomes (Ott-Holland, Shepherd & Ryan, (2017). The social culture in the new environment is likely to impact on these outcomes and as a result, affect the general productivity of the group. When members of the group from other cultural backgrounds perceive my leadership as unfamiliar to them, this may affect my own self image, reducing my confidence in myself as a leader. This is in-turn likely to lower productivity of the group as a result of failing to make sound decisions. Management of others may also become difficult. Managing team members from different cultural backgrounds requires an understanding of their values, belief systems, among other elements of culture. Managing them effectively may prove a tough task, considering their diversity. This would reduce efficiency in management and lead to wastage of time, leading to reduced level of productivity.
How the social culture and diversity of the individuals on the team will influence the greater organizational culture
As mentioned above, the team is made up of individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. Certainly, the diverse cultures of the team members are likely to influence the greater organizational culture. One way in which this is likely to happen is through exchange of values, norms, practices and belief systems. It is most likely that the group with the majority of team members will have a greater impact on the culture of the entire group. In this case, team members from America are likely to influence the entire group to adopt American organizational culture. However, this is only possible if the setting of the organization is based in America. Organizations based in Greece, Singapore, Germany and Iran will most likely adopt the culture of the respective physical environment. Miyamoto, Nisbett & Masuda, (2006 ) state that the physical environment has a strong impact on the general culture of individuals in that environment.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, development of a multi-cultural organization requires critical analysis of all the factors that are likely to impact on both performance and outcomes. Assessment of the cultural competencies of various team members to identify their potential to function competently in a culturally diverse working environment is the basis of achieving cultural competence in a culturally diverse group. There is also need to pre-examine the leadership style and how it can be influenced by the diversity of the group. Other variables to pay consider include workplace outcomes, group productivity and the general organizational culture in regard to the diverse nature of the group. Once all these factors have been identified and addressed, the group functioning becomes optimal.
References
Medows, E. (2014). Person-centered approach in organizational relationships. Occupational journal , 4 (2), 1.
Miyamoto, Y., Nisbett, R. E., & Masuda, T. (2006). Culture and the physical environment: Holistic versus analytic perceptual affordances. Psychological Science , 17 (2), 113-119.
Ott-Holland, C. J., Shepherd, W. J., & Ryan, A. M. (2017). Examining Wellness Programs Over Time: Predicting Participation and Workplace Outcomes. Social Leadership , 1(3), 1-17.
Shen, Z. (2015). Cultural competence models and cultural competence assessment instruments in nursing: a literature review. Journal of Transcultural Nursing , 26 (3), 308-321.
