It is important for human resources professionals to be aware of their own cultural identities, acknowledge their values and beliefs, and be prepared to navigate situations involving cultural and value differences. The purpose of this assignment is to practice having a cultural conversation, experience being vulnerable in discussing cultural identities, recognize emotional responses, have a collaborative discussion about values and differences, recognize differences in experiencing care and support, and identify qualities of a therapeutic environment or relationship that would facilitate a positive working alliance. Understanding your own cultural beliefs and values can help to make you aware of potential biases and limitations and increase empathy without judgment.
Instructions
Find a friend or colleague who is willing to have a cultural conversation of approximately one hour with you. Choose someone who represents a cultural identity that is different from your own (for example, ethnicity, military). This is an opportunity to step outside of your comfort zone. Explain that you are completing an assignment for Multicultural Issues in Human Services, that you will need to write about the conversation, and that you will use an alias, with no personally identifying information. Write a 4–5-page paper (not counting the title page and reference page). You do not need to write an abstract. Follow current APA professional style standards. Cite and reference our textbooks, Cultural Humility, by Hook et al. (2017), and Cultural Engagement (Chatraw