Western/Northwestern/RCH Alliance Aims  Be aware of the importance of culture  Be able to identify cultural barriers to communication  Learn strategies to overcome these barriers  Develop “cultural competence” Culture  A pattern of ideas, rules, values, beliefs, habits  Acquired through interactions with people  Influenced by age, gender, family, economic status, personality, experience, career, etc  Provide a value system  Dynamic: evolving over time  Difficult to define! Cultural Awareness  The ability to recognize your own cultural values, and those of other cultures  Being respectful and open-minded  Avoidance of stereotyping  Sensitivity to culturally-specific needs Note: awareness can be a passive process Cultural Competence  The ability to maintain positive outcomes in cross- cultural encounters  It is an active process  Requires attitude, knowledge and experience Difficulties  It is normal to feel stressed, overwhelmed, misunderstood, or threatened when facing people from an unfamiliar culture  Things which seem logical to them will make no sense to you  You may find yourself being stereotyped, or be tempted to stereotype them  Culture is complex Cultural Dimensions All cultures lie between these two extremes of value Individualism Equality Gender indifference Shades of grey Short-term values Collectivism Hierarchy Gender differentiation Black and white Long-term values Individualism versus Collectivism Individualism Collectivism  Privacy  Loyalty  Rights  Friendliness  Personal Responsibility  Part of a group  Personal choice  Social obligations Where does Australia lie on this cultural dimension? Where does your own culture lie? Power Distance Equality Hierarchy  Social welfare  Unequal distribution of  Socialising is casual, lack of wealth, status and power  Rigid rules governing social behaviour rules  Equal rights for all groups Where does Australia lie on this cultural dimension? Where does your own culture lie? Gender Differentiation Male / Female Distinction Gender Indifference • Men and women take on  Men and women are seen as different, and noninterchangeable roles • Affects clothing, language, behaviours, sometimes rights equivalent in terms of roles they can take on  Gender does not define how you behave Where does Australia lie on this cultural dimension? Where does your own culture lie? Tolerance for Uncertainty Black and White Shades of Grey  Belief in absolutes  No ultimate truth  Rules and regulations  Anarchistic  Risk avoidance  Risk taking  Often single viewpoint  Multiple perspectives Where does Australia lie on this cultural dimension? Where does your own culture lie? Time frame Short-term values Long-term orientation  Rapidly changing  Tradition and stability  Innovations  Dislike of change  Today’s problems are more  Conservative important than those in 50 years’ time  Makes sacrifices for long- term gain Where does Australia lie on this cultural dimension? Where does your own culture lie? Australian Culture/Communication  Verbal communication  Direct, to the point  Brevity versus decoration  Interrupting a speaker  Difference of opinion  Use of humour  Emotions Australian Culture/Communication  Non-verbal communication  Facial expression  Eye contact  Gestures  Touch and personal space  Degree of emotion Australian Culture/Communication  Written Communication  Logical  Linear  Comprehensive Australian Culture / Sense of Time  Monochronic time sense  Strictly punctual  Attention is given to the current task  Interruptions are avoided  Polychronic time sense  Timetables and schedules are less important than other obligations Australian Culture / Approach to Illness and Death  Denial of illness and death  Much effort spent on avoiding it  Lack of acceptance of one’s “fate” Australian Culture / Legal Issues in the Workplace  Equal opportunity  Multiculturalism  Consent  Confidentiality  Boundaries to sexual advances  Formal complaints procedure Specific Issues for doctors working in Australia  Alcohol  Sexuality - attitudes and behaviours  Aboriginal health  Mental health  Ageing and community care Your Input  What have you experienced?  Problems with cross-cultural encounters?  Misunderstanding or being misunderstood?  Surprising elements of Australian culture?  Stereotyping or pre-formed opinions?  Interesting differences between cultures?