Question

what challenges may administrators face in developing cultural competency within their organizations?

Answer 1

Cultural competence consists of the values, policies and core beliefs that enable the people in an organization to function effectively in a multicultural setting. The process of achieving such competence is complex and ongoing hence not all the organizations are able to maintain a culturally competent environment. Some of the challenges that administrators may face are:

• There could be a lack of proper knowledge about different cultures. Being unaware of the cultural issues may lead to failure to identify a problem in the first place.
• The organization itself does not consider cultural competence as a priority.
• They might face financial constraints or lack of support for developing policies or investing in community outreach programs.
• There could be a lack of cooperation from the staff members if they are not aware of the cultural differences or have stereotypical beliefs.
• There could exist a dominant culture in the organization that can cause further insensitivity and makes it difficult to accommodate and manage the minority population.