Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-9pm4c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-28T19:57:08.723Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Absence of Cultural Awareness Training in International Non-Governmental Organizations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2019

Alexander Hart Open the ORCID record for Alexander Hart [Opens in a new window] ,
Mariana Toma ,
Fadi Issa  and
Gregory R. Ciottone
Alexander Hart*
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterFellowship in Disaster Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsUSA Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Mariana Toma
Affiliation:
Simmons University, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Fadi Issa
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterFellowship in Disaster Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
Gregory R. Ciottone
Affiliation:
Department of Emergency Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterFellowship in Disaster Medicine, Boston, MassachusettsUSA Department of Emergency Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MassachusettsUSA
*
Correspondence: Alexander Hart, MD Director of Education and Research Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Fellowship in Disaster Medicine Instructor in Emergency Medicine Harvard Medical School 330 Brookline Ave Boston, Massachusetts 02215 USA E-mail: Alexhart1988@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Introduction:

Cultural awareness can be defined as an understanding of the differences that exist between cultures. This understanding is a crucial first step towards the development of cultural sensitivity, a willingness to accept those differences as having equal merit, and becoming operationally effective when working within different cultures. The benefits of cultural awareness have become apparent in recent decades, including within governments, militaries, and corporations. Many organizations have developed cultural awareness training for their staffs to improve cross-cultural cooperation. However, there has not been a large movement toward cultural sensitivity training among non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who provide aid globally, across a number of countries and cultures. Cultural awareness can be a useful tool which enables an NGO to better serve the populations with which they engage.

Problem:

The goal of this study was to evaluate the presence of cultural awareness training for employees and volunteers working within international NGOs.

Methods:

Ten of the largest international NGOs were identified. Their websites were evaluated for any mention of training in cultural awareness available to their employees and volunteers. All ten were then contacted via their public email addresses to find out if they provide any form of cultural awareness training.

Results:

Of the ten NGOs identified, none had any publicly available cultural awareness training on their websites. One NGO dealt with cultural awareness by only hiring local staff, who were already a part of the prevalent culture of the area. None of the others who responded provided any cultural awareness training.

Conclusion:

Cultural awareness is a vital tool when working internationally. Large NGOs, which operate in a wide-range of cultures, have an obligation to act in a culturally aware and accepting manner. Most large NGOs currently lack a systematic, robust cultural awareness training for their employees and volunteers.

Keywords

cultural awarenesshuman resourceshumanitarianNGOnon-governmental organization
Type
Original Research
Information
Prehospital and Disaster Medicine , Volume 34 , Issue 5 , October 2019 , pp. 486 - 488
Copyright
© World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

US Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences. Cross-Cultural Competence in the Department of Defense: An Annotated Bibliography Special Report 71. http://www.cultureready.org/sites/default/files/publications/ADA599260.pdf. Accessed December 26, 2018.Google Scholar
Johnson, JP, Lenartowicz, T, Apud, S. Cross-cultural competence in international business: toward a definition and a model. J Int Bus Stud. 2006;37(4):525–543.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
US Department of State. So, You’re an American? https://www.state.gov/m/fsi/tc/answeringdifficultquestions/html/app.htm?p%3Dmodule2_p3.htm. Accessed December 26, 2018.Google Scholar
Kealey, DJ, Protheroe, DR. The effectiveness of cross-cultural training for expatriates: an assessment of the literature on the issue. Int J Intercultural Relations. 1996;20(2):141–165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Collins, NM, Pieterse, AL. Critical incident analysis-based training: an approach for developing active racial/cultural awareness. J Couns Dev. 2007;85(1):14–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moran, RT. “Managing Cultural Differences.” In: Harris, PR, Moran, SV, (eds). Global Leadership Strategies for the 21st Century. 7th ed. Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 2007.Google Scholar
Pettigrew, TF, Tropp, LR, Wagner, U, Christ, O. Recent advances in intergroup contact theory. Int J Intercult Relations. 2011;35(3):271–280.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charleston, B, Gajewska-De Mattos, H, Chapman, M. Cross-cultural competence in the context of NGOs: bridging the gap. Int J Hum Resour Manag. 2018;29(21):3068–3092.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Resnicow, K, Baranowski, T, Ahluwalia, JS, Braithwaite, RL. Cultural sensitivity in public health: defined and demystified. Ethn Dis. 1999;9(1):10–21.Google ScholarPubMed
Watters, E. Crazy Like Us: The Globalization of the American Psyche. New York USA: Simon and Schuster; 2010.Google Scholar
Christopher, JC, Wendt, DC, Marecek, J, Goodman, DM. Critical cultural awareness: contributions to a globalizing psychology. Am Psychol. 2014;69(7):645–655.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lough, BJ. International volunteers’ perceptions of intercultural competence. Int J Intercult Relations. 2011;35(4):452–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamilton, J, Woodward-Kron, R. Developing cultural awareness and intercultural communication through multimedia: a case study from medicine and the health sciences. System. 2010;38(4):560–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Weigl, RC. Intercultural competence through cultural self-study: a strategy for adult learners. Int J Intercult Relations. 2009;33(4):346–360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baltes, B, Hernandez, D, Collins, C. Increasing cultural awareness through a cultural awareness program. J Educ Res Pract. 2015;5(1):1–20.Google Scholar