Why and when does multicultural sensitivity make the candidate stand out from the local who has a better understanding of local culture and ideas?

Cultural sensitivity refers to a set of skills that allows you to understand and learn about people whose cultural background is not the same as yours. But, what does that really mean? Let's take a look at some examples.

Avery Jones, a 55-year-old African American woman, has not been feeling well. Since she is new in town and has not yet had a chance to establish care with a physician, she decides to go to Dr. James Morrison at her friend's recommendation. Upon their first meeting, the 32-year-old Dr. Morrison introduces himself as 'Dr. Morrison' and calls her 'Avery.' Dr. Morrison then assumes that she is on Medicaid. Avery Jones leaves Dr. Morrison's practice upset and decides to find a different doctor. Dr. Morrison is obviously confused about her response. So, what did he do wrong?

In this example, Dr. Morrison was not being culturally sensitive. In many cultures, it is customary to call people by their last names, especially when they are older than you. Since Dr. Morrison called his patient 'Avery' instead of 'Mrs. Jones,' she took it as a sign of disrespect. To make matters worse, Dr. Morrison assumed that Avery was on Medicaid based solely upon his initial impression of her. This not only upset Mrs. Jones, but also prevented her from getting the medical treatment that she needed.

So, what would the culturally sensitive approach look like? Instead of calling her 'Avery,' Dr. Morrison would have asked her how she would like to be addressed. He could then make a note in her chart so that all of the staff know to address her as 'Mrs. Jones.' Instead of assuming that Mrs. Jones was on Medicaid, Dr. Morrison would have asked her if she had medical insurance and who her insurance provider was. Or maybe, he would have avoided the subject all together, as most practices have a billing department that handles insurance matters.

When the candidate has multicultural vision, he can understand the identity of a culture, what makes it stand out from other cultures, its strenghts and weaknesses. When a local doesn't have a multicultural sensitiviy, he won't identify his culture's identity and the imports form other cultures, since we live in a global world, it will not be special for that local.

The more you know and can be immerse in new cultures, the better you understand each one of those you knew before. Essential step for that to do is to speak the local language at a level that lets you not only communicate, but also understand the culture's thinking and identity.