Cultural Competence is Essential for Consultants

As a process consultant, sometimes it is difficult to not step in and solve the problem for a client. Sure, I bring a level of expertise in my field and in facilitation, but I am NOT the expert in that leader’s or that organization’s culture – THEY are. 

This revelation is apparent when conversing with Sandra Quick, a 30+ year educator extraordinaire with street cred to match, who is the instructor for our next course:  Building Capacity for Cultural Congruence (BCCC)

Options for cultural competence training abound, but this course is specifically for CONSULTANTS who CARE about navigating the seen, unseen and behind-the-scenes cultural forces and interplay within any given organization. 

The BCCC course also offers participants a reality check about their own cultural assumptions and how that affects the consultative “helping” relationship. Are you stepping on toes? Encouraging neediness? Building co-dependency? Assuming you know the cultural nuances? To build a better practice, we as consultants must constantly adapt, learn and challenge ourselves, ultimately, to benefit the client.

Sandra says it best: “Cultural competence assists in understanding your own cultural values, beliefs, opinions and feelings. The practice of acknowledging and accepting others’ differences is paramount to understanding the dynamics of difference.  Developing and adapting your skills from learned cultural knowledge will lead to cultural advocacy. Cultural congruence is the ability to adapt practiced skills to fit the cultural context of the client being served.”

Are you ready to up your game as a culturally competent consultant?  To learn more about the instructor or register for BCCC, which starts May 15th, click here. 

Written by Kim Stezala

CEO, The Society of Process Consulting

If you'd like to write a blog post for the Society for Process Consulting, please e-mail Lon L. Swartzentruber at lons@designgroupintl.com.