by
Michelle D. Anderson
, July 20, 2009
ARLINGTON, Va.
Dozens of diversity professionals examined organizational obstacles and solutions in achieving cultural competency at “Workplace Diversity: Practice and Research,” the third annual diversity conference hosted by The School of Management at George Mason University.
The event, which was held July 16-17, drew dozens of professors, executives and researchers from across the country to discuss current best practices and research in diversity management and business education as it relates to cultural competency.
While health care professionals are often cited for embracing cultural competency, an increasing number of businesses and institutions of higher learning have also adopted the ideology. Cultural competency encompasses an individual's attitude and knowledge about cultural differences as well as awareness about one's world views.
In a session titled “Increasing Cultural Competency at the Organizational Level,” Dr. Lisa Nishii, of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, and Robert Rich, managing principal at The Ithaca Consulting Group, discussed organizational cultural competency (OCC) and the consequences of insufficient efforts in maintaining best cultural competency practices in the workplace.
“The group level is ultimately where cultural competency occurs,” Nishii said.
Nishii, whose research focuses on organizational diversity and inclusion, pointed out that one-time practices like diversity training are not going to move organizations toward cultural competency.
