Currently, the U.S. has at least 90 ethnic groups that are characterized by varying beliefs and behaviors in regard to health. Studies have consistently indicated that cultural variations have played a big role in promoting disparity in healthcare ( Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015) . Healthcare disparity refers to variations in preventative, diagnostic, and treatment procedures provided to patients with similar health conditions. There have been remarkable disparities among minority groups in the American healthcare system. Primarily, culture is defined as a pattern of ideas, behaviors, and customs shared by certain people or society. The influence of culture on health is vast. Culture influence understanding of health, beliefs about the origin of illness, illness, and demise, how illness is endured and manifested, illness and death, where patients seek intervention, and the kinds of intervention patients prefer (Truong, Paradies, & Priest, 2014). In a society that is increasingly becoming multicultural and multinational, healthcare leaders have to harness cross-cultural leadership to enhance cultural competence in the workforce and stimulate the provision of culturally competent care.
The significance of Cross-Cultural Management
In the current global work environment, organizations need culturally diverse teams to enhance their performance (Daquila, 2011). However, even though conflict is acknowledged as part of a human being and a pervasive aspect of socio-cultural and professional interaction, culture is greatly associated with conflict. This calls for effective cross-cultural management to maintain harmony in the workstation and foster teamwork. By and large, the exercise of cross-cultural management empowers a leader to traverse divergent worldview among subordinates to foster diversity and inclusion (Narver, 2014). Further, inclusion and diversity fosters creativity and innovation among workers and enables health organizations to void employee turnover. Also, in addition to enhancing the competitiveness of health organizations in today's globalized world, diversity in boardroom helps in leveraging the organization’s full potential. Equally important, cross-cultural management enables leaders to understand their own worldview and how they form their subordinates. Hence, it is fundamental for a leader to cultivate a common understanding of a situation using one worldview to avoid or deal with conflict within the organization. Such practices would help in creating a conducive environment in the workstation for all employees, foster a sense of belonging, and make it easier to hire and retain talents. By and large, understanding one’s worldview as a leader provides a blueprint to understanding the other individuals within the organization. As a leader, one gets the competence to manage these differences and finding common ground among competing worldviews.
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The main purpose of healthcare organizations is to provide healthcare in the current multi-cultural world. Therefore, this requires health organizations to embrace cross-cultural leadership as a basis for enhancing the capacity to select and direct cultural competency training and adherence (Narver, 2014). In addition, Dauvrin and Lorant (2015) cultural competency is an effective approach to enhancing the provision of healthcare to ethnic or racial minorities in the society with the motive of lessening ethnic or racial health disparities. Cultural competence entails sensitivity, understanding, compassion, and acceptance of patients with varying beliefs, values, and behaviors. It enhances the ability of healthcare providers and organizations to meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of the clients. Narver (2014) noted respect as a core component of cultural competence. Healthcare providers who exhibit respect for patients’ beliefs, values, customs, traditions, and language create a comfortable environment for employees, enabling them to communicate freely and honestly, and subsequently raising the chances of reducing disparities in healthcare and improving patient outcomes. Additionally, cultural competence ensures effective evaluation of a situation and adjusting the behavior accordingly to meet patients’ needs while upholding the utmost professional level of objectivity, respect, and identity (PCC Institute for Health Professionals, 2016). This is because effective cultural competence accommodates fundamental skills, such as active and unprejudiced listening skills, encouragement of expression of divergent opinions and perspectives, and respect for others’ point of view. Besides, cultural competency encourages consideration of cultural, behavioral, and social factors in developing effective care plans, including behavioral changes, discharge plans, medication, and adherence to treatment plans. Cultural competence is primarily a lifelong process of learning that enables healthcare providers to keep pace with the dynamic nature of cultural evolution (PCC Institute for Health Professionals, 2016). There are numerous organizations such as The Joint Commission, which provide resources to enhance cultural competence and patient-and-family-centered care. Therefore, as implied by Narver (2014), a leader should always use the available resources to enhance the subordinated capacity and capability to exercise cultural competence in service delivery by restructuring the deep-seated notions of communication and interaction.
Notably, the cultural variance is the cause of most of the unmet patient needs because the traditional approach to healthcare is characterized by extensive disparities. Differences in patient’s health beliefs, behaviors, preferences, and values are crucial determinants of health variation in the U.S (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). These entail discrepancies in patient's understanding of symptoms, thresholds for seeking medical attention, the capacity to convey symptoms to a practitioner who comprehends their meaning, expectations of care, and adherence to preventive medications and measures. However, the application of cross-cultural leadership serves as a medium to understand the patients as themselves and to dispel the notion that doctors know best (Agreli, Peduzzi, & Silva, 2016). It creates a supportive moral environment hinged upon cultural equity and safety. Healthcare practitioners are normally confronted with complex moral dilemmas in their daily duties, especially when dealing when their ability to provide care is hindered by conflicting beliefs and values of patients and other colleagues. Hence, this requires cultural competence amongst leaders to guide their subordinates through these work-related challenges. Importantly, cultural competence will help in instilling a life-long culture of valuing differences in medical organizations, as well as appreciating different ethnic, gender, and cultural divergences.
The moral climate dictates the implicit and explicit values that direct healthcare services delivery at the workplace (Almutairi, 2015). Nurses face complex needs as a result of alienation from leadership, bureaucratic leadership, and professional conflict. Cross-cultural leadership helps nursing practice deal with these issues by addressing the cultural, practical and ethical issues inherent in practice. In particular, cultural diversity results in the complication of clinical interaction (Almutairi, 2015). It presents key challenges and difficulties in healthcare institutions. These issues underscore the need for caregivers to commit to working towards creating work environments that support a causal relationship. A causal relationship exists between the cultural competence of healthcare professionals and that of the leaders which play a significant mediating role (Dauvrin & Lorant, 2015). Leadership impacts the social relationships within healthcare facilities and by extension the development and implementation of culturally competent strategies.
Conclusion
Leadership influences subordinates and overall organizational service delivery.
Cross-cultural leadership enhances cultural competence at an individual level among healthcare providers and at an organizational level in the provision of culturally competent healthcare. The increasing diversity of the U.S’s society engenders opportunities for healthcare practitioners, healthcare system, and all stakeholders to create and offer culturally competent services. By and large, a culturally competent healthcare system helps in enhancing the quality of care and health outcomes, and can largely contribute to the elimination of ethnic and racial disparities in health. Thus, in today's society that is increasingly becoming multicultural and multinational, healthcare leaders have to harness cross-cultural leadership to enhance cultural competence in the workforce and stimulate the provision of culturally competent care.
References
Agreli, H. F., Peduzzi, M., & Silva, M. C. (2016). Patient centred care in inter-professional collaborative practice. Interface - Comunicação, Saúde, Educação, 20(59), 905-916.
Almutairi, A. F. (2015). Fostering a supportive moral climate for health care providers: Toward cultural safety and equity. Nursing Plus Open , 1-4.
Daquila, G. (2011). Cross-Cultural Leadership: Why It Matters? Retrieved from Weltanschauung + Sensemaking: https://geralddaquila.com/2011/11/25/cross-cultural-leadership-why-it-matters/
Dauvrin, M., & Lorant, V. (2015). Leadership and Cultural Competence of Healthcare Professionals A Social Network Analysis. Nursing Research , 200-210.
Narver, D. (2014). Advantages of Cross-Cultural Leadership in a Diverse Work Place . Retrieved from NMC Strategy Manager: https://www.nmcstrategicmanager.com/cross-cultural-leadership/cross-cultural-leadership-for-managers-2/
PCC Institute for Health Professionals. (2016). Why Every Healthcare Professional Needs Cultural Competency Training — Whether Required or Not. Retrieved from Portland Community College: http://climb.pcc.edu/blog/why-every-healthcare-professional-needs-cultural-competency-training-whether-required-or-not .
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Truong, M., Paradies, Y., & Priest, N. (2014). Interventions to improve cultural competency in healthcare: A systematic review of reviews. BMC Health Services, 14(1), 99.
