M2: Learner Manual

10.3. Resolving cross-cultural misunderstandings

Community and services organisations need to consider the diversity of their client’s values, beliefs and cultural expectations. To work effectively with culturally diverse clients, you will need the appropriate knowledge and skills. 

• Be aware of your own cultural background/experiences, attitudes, values and biases that might influence your ability to assist clients from diverse cultural populations. It is essential that you correct any prejudices and biases you may have regarding different cultural groups. 
• Educate yourself wherever possible to enhance your understanding and to address the needs of culturally diverse clients. This may involve learning about cultural, social, psychological, political, economic and historical material specific to the particular ethnic group being served. 
• Recognise that ethnicity and culture may have an impact on a client’s behaviour. 
• Assist clients to become aware of their own cultural values and norms and facilitate discovery of ways clients can apply this awareness to their own lives and to society at large, as well as within the organisation. 
• Respect the client’s religious and/or spiritual beliefs and values. 
• Work to eliminate biases, prejudices and discriminatory practices. 
• Provide information in a language that the client can understand. 
• Provide information in writing, along with oral explanations. 

Specific needs that may need to be addressed include areas where cultural expectations could affect relationships with clients and co-workers include: 

Family involvement: Some Western societies focus on individualism and therefore any involvement of family members requires approval by the client. However, in cultures that encourage interdependency, the client and/or their family may have an expectation that family members are included in the process. 

Body language: There can be significant differences between cultures in how people interpret facial expressions or what they consider to be an appropriate degree of personal space or eye contact. 

Gender preferences: Some cultures may have particular rules regarding appropriate interactions between males and females. It is therefore important to consider the issue of gender preferences when planning service delivery. 

It is very important that workers learn to be innovative and flexible when working with people from other cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For example, any service delivery may need to be developed and reviewed in collaboration with the client’s community as well as the client. 

Organisations providing services to the community, have an obligation to develop policies, procedures and standards of practice that aim to eliminate bias and discrimination in their service delivery.  

It is important to look for strategies at both the service level and the individual level. Below are some effective strategies for eliminating bias and discrimination.