Cultural Competency

The Cultural Competency for Mission program enhances cultural awareness and adaptability in communication and leadership, especially for those continually involved in relationship management and in multicultural situations. The program provides critical interpersonal and cultural knowledge and skills.

Australia is the second most multicultural nation on the planet after Luxembourg, according to the OECD. Those born overseas or whose parents were born overseas (51.5%), now outnumber those with both parents born here. 29.5% of Australian residents were born overseas, or 7 million out of our 25 million (2022 Census ABS).

In this nation of such fast-growing cultural diversity, the challenge is to acquire cultural competency – gaining the cultural knowledge, skills and attitudes to be able to communicate and collaborate effectively in a multicultural environment, leveraging diversity, valuing and celebrating difference.

Cultural competency formation enables participants:

• Apply key cultural skills in interpersonal relationships, from one-on-one through to managing the broader organisation,
• Operate more effectively in multicultural environments, working across cultures and geographies,
• Scan your organisation to identify potential cultural issues and proactively mitigate them,
• Develop cultural competence in effective communication when building teams, partnerships and networks.

The program utilises the Cultural Orientations Model™, developed by the international language and cultural training organization Berlitz, to facilitate understanding cultural differences via a framework of three dimensions; Interaction – how we interact with others, Thinking – how we receive, process and give back information, and Sense of Self – how we view ourselves, our identity and what motivates us. Each dimension comprises of a further sub-set of orientations, found to be common across all human cultures.

This helps the participant understand the influence of their original culture, be more conscious of their personal cultural preferences and how they affect interactions, especially where cultural gaps exist with others. Cultural skills and strategies are taught to bridge the gaps, to communicate more effectively in relationships, improve teamwork and collegiality, and work across a diversity of cultures, celebrating differences, creating an authentic enculturated community of faith. Training modules are tailored to the context and needs of each group.

For further information please contact:

Patrick Fox

Cultural Competency Consultant

PH: 02 9919 7800

Direct: 02 9919 7825

E: cultures@catholicmission.org.au