Historically, with its vast, complex immigration history, the United States has developed one of the richest cultures in the world. However, despite efforts made to integrate these different origins, it is more and more clear that cultural competence is the new way to make businesses and services more efficient… and profitable.
What happens when a Latino, a first-time mother-to-be, has only arrived in her new American home and within two months she becomes pregnant? What happens when she needs to go to continuous check-ups at the doctor’s, and struggles to understand her physician’s instructions as well as the hospital in her community which does not have a Spanish-speaking staff? She develops two symptoms: first of all, she drives her American husband crazy with questions –that, undoubtedly, cannot be solved by the equally anxious first-time father, and then, she overuses hospital hours and resources just to be reassured about any small symptom or doubt she experiences.
What happens when an elderly Mexican immigrant, who has been working all his life, saving, as his father in Mexico used to, every spare penny to enjoy a quiet retirement and travel? What happens when he, who still is challenged by the English language and despite all his years in America, goes to the local bank to try and open a savings account to keep his money safe? The bank is fully prepared to offer many convenient services. The man takes home the brochures, but does not understand them so he calls the bank for assistance. All he gets is a “Sorry, me ‘no comprende’ Spanish”. He hangs up the phone, and decides to keep his money at home. The bank has now one customer less.
The above examples are when cultural competence comes in handy. It is not only a useful tool; it is almost an obligation among companies and organizations who intend to remain not only profitable, but integrated and enriching to society.
What is cultural competence? It is a term used to describe the ability by people of one culture to understand –and feel comfortable with- the cultures of other people of a different origin. The term is fairly recent, but it is becoming widely used in the fields of education and healthcare, especially with regulatory compliance within the United States. The idea is to accept, integrate and help develop those people who bring along a wide array of diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Communities should also be able to economically benefit from collaboration. Culturally competent organizations design and implement services that are tailored or matched to the unique needs of individuals, children, families, organizations and communities served. This allows many benefits, alongside economic success: it helps eliminate long-standing disparities in the health status of people of diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds; to improve the quality of services provided to the public in general; and gain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
Companies that achieve cultural competence are the ones who take charge of a continuous renewal of the workforce -including Hispanic/Latino people- to make their staff richer –and thus, generate a more open approach to enriching American society in general. This is profitable in business, and in contribution to more and better levels of fairness and equality. Community members are full partners in the decision making processes. And if the Hispanic/Latino community, the fastest growing minority in the U.S (almost 42 million people and growing) are exposed to and profit from culturally competent companies, they can become potential clients, customers… or more productive employees.
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