Reflection of CLCPA Self-Assessment Results
Cultural competence is a critical factor for the success of modern organizations. Organizations need to identify values, behaviors, structures, and attitudes that enhance employee performance. Similarly, organizations need to cultivate a culture of linguistic competence. Effective communication in organizations creates more cohesive teamwork leading to enhanced productivity. Linguistic competence helps organizations to relay information in a way that is easily understandable to a diverse audience.
From the CLCPA- Cultural and Linguistic Competence Policy Assessment, I learned that health organizations need to identify how culturally diverse the communities they serve are. Health organizations must realize that cultural beliefs, vulnerabilities, strengths, and values of different cultures influence their operations and profits. Today, customers prefer organizations that embrace cultural diversity over those that target only the dominant culture. Concerning linguistic competence, organizations must communicate effectively in a way that all members of the organization and the wider society understand (Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, 2021).
From the CLCPA assessment, I noticed that it is no longer tenable for organizations to only target the dominant cultures. Organizations have to appreciate that modern societies comprise divergent ethnic groups. These diverse groups have different languages, cultural practices, beliefs, and values. Based on this analogy, organizations must be sensitive to the needs of all cultures in their operating environment.
Knowledge of diverse communities helps organizations to improve services. From the CLCPA assessment, I gathered that it is vital for organizations to be familiar with both the current and the projected demographics in their area of service. For example, knowledge of current demography can help my organization to align its services with the prevailing trends (Kim, Halpin, & Morrison, 2017).The following is an excellent example to illustrate this point. My organization is based in a predominantly white area. However, in the last few years, the population of Hispanics and Blacks have increased rapidly. Based on this data, it is no longer tenable for my agency to focus its service delivery focused on whites only. The organization now has to accept the diversity and review its overall focus to embrace inclusivity.
Health organizations must be aware of the social and health problems of the diverse cultural groups in their service area. Awareness of health and social problems can help my organizations to deal effectively with arising problems. For example, some communities suffer more from certain illnesses compared to other communities. Consequently, health organizations must examine the cultural composition of their surrounding communities (Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development, 2021).
Through this approach, organizations can effectively mobile resources to deal firmly with the most pressing health needs of the communities. In the same manner, the identification of social problems is critical because health organizations can map out the risk factors that create health problems. My organization scores fairly well in this area since it has data on prevalent health and social problems in its service area.
To conclude, knowledge of diverse communities help organizations to improve service delivery. Through CLCPA, organizations can evaluate how much they know about the communities it is dealing with. Important parameters in CLCPA include; the ability to identify diverse communities, familiarity with current and projected demographics, ability to identify health disparities in the area, and identification of the social problems. Equally, health organizations must be aware of the health beliefs, cultural practices, values, and customs of the communities they serve.
References
- Georgetown University Centre for Child and Human Development. (2021). LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE. Retrieved January, from https://nccc.georgetown.edu/
- Kim, U., Halpin, J., & Morrison, G. (2017). Diversity and inclusion in healthcare: A leadership perspective.