cp cultural competence lessons final rpt

7/31/2019 CP Cultural Competence Lessons FINAL RPT

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access

inclusivity

openness

accountability

diversity

opportunity

engagement

equity

Multicultural Organizational Developmentin Nonpro t Organizations:Lessons rom the Cultural CompetenceLearning Initiative

A 2008-2010 initiative o CompassPoint Nonpro t Servicesmade possible by The Cali ornia Endowment

CompassPoint Nonpro t Services731 Market Street, Suite 200San Francisco, CA 94103

The Cali ornia Endowment1000 North Alameda StreetLos Angeles, CA 90012


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De nitions o Common Terms

Cultural competence: A set o congruent behaviors,attitudes, and policies that come together in a system,agency, or among pro essionals to work efectivelyin cross-cultural situations. (Cross, T., B.J. Bazron et al.,Towards a Culturally Competent System of Care: Volume 1.Washington, D.C.: National Technical Assistance Center

or Childrens Mental Health, Georgetown University ChildDevelopment Center, 1989, p. iv.)

Multicultural organizational development: A philosophyand practical approach that can help organizations torealize the potential o diversity through strategies aimedat personal, interpersonal, and organizational levels.(Mayeno, L., Multicultural Organizational Development, in Multicultural Organizational Development: A Resourcefor Health Equity. San Francisco: CompassPoint Nonpro tServices and The Cali ornia Endowment, July 2007, p. 1.)

Multicultural Organizational Developmentin Nonpro t Organizations: Lessons rom theCultural Competence Learning Initiative

Introduction and Context

Purpose o this documentWhat does it take to integrate cultural competence intothe day-to-day operations o a community-based nonpro torganization? Once the work is started, how do you moveit to the next level and sustain an ongoing process? TheCultural Competence Learning Initiative (CCLI) was initiatedby CompassPoint Nonpro t Services [ www.compasspoint.org ] tocontribute to learning and practice around these questions.

Through this project, unded by The Cali ornia Endowment,eleven community-based nonpro t organizations involved inimproving community health outcomes received multicultural organizational development support rom a CompassPointconsultant team.

This document is geared towards individual organizations,unders, or practitioners o cultural competence and

multicultural organizational development. It shares lessonsrom the project to in orm work in the eld and provides

practical examples o how participating organizationsaddressed di erent areas o cultural competence. Several tools and templates created as a part o this initiative canbe accessed through hyperlinks provided in this document.

The paper is written rom the point o view o the projectslead consultants, Laurin Mayeno o Mayeno Consultingand Steve Lew o CompassPoint, and is in ormed by theexperience and insights o participants.

Project BackgroundCCLI launched in all 2008 and built on a three-monographseries produced by CompassPoint Nonpro t Services in2007 entitled Organizational Development & Capacity inCultural Competence: Building Knowledge and Practice [www.compasspoint.org/content/index.php?pid=19#Ccomp ].The idea behind this project was to work with a cohort o organizations to see what new lessons emerged in practice.Each o the eleven participating organizations received60-65 hours o consulting tailored to their goals. Several organizations took part in a series o workshops onmulticultural organizational development to build theircapacity or leading the work. CompassPoint also becamea participant o the project and underwent its ownprocess o multicultural organizational development.Several key documents that emerged rom this work,such as CompassPoints multicultural vision, values,and commitments statement [ www.compasspoint.org/ assets/1171_vision ormulticulturaldev.pd ], are shared onthe website or the Cultural Competence Learning Initiativeat www.compasspoint.org/ccli .

This initiative began as the 2008 economic recessionstarted to hit local communities and nonpro t operatingbudgets. Even though consulting time on the projectwas subsidized through a CompassPoint grant rom TheCali ornia Endowment, the scope and pace o work withmany participants became more limited and slowed as theyreprioritized activities to address urgent organizational matters like reductions in sta and program closures. Itwas initially anticipated that work with groups wouldtake 5-8 months; instead, the typical project stretchedto 614 months. Despite the immense challenges thatgroups were acing, organizations continued to commit thetime and energy needed to support ongoing multicultural development; many even developed comprehensivemultiyear plans. The San Francisco organization, New Lea :Services or Our Community, provides a detailed example o a multicultural plan [ www.compasspoint.org/assets/1167_multiculturalplan.pd ]. [Note: At the time o printing,New Lea announced its closure a ter 35 years o service.As a legacy to its important e orts through CCLI, theorganization agreed to share its multicultural developmentplan so that its work could in orm and be adapted by other

organizations in their multicultural capacity building.]
http://www.compasspoint.org/http://www.compasspoint.org/content/index.php?pid=19#Ccomphttp://www.compasspoint.org/content/index.php?pid=19#Ccomphttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1171_visionformulticulturaldev.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1171_visionformulticulturaldev.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/cclihttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1167_multiculturalplan.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1167_multiculturalplan.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1167_multiculturalplan.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1167_multiculturalplan.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/cclihttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1171_visionformulticulturaldev.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1171_visionformulticulturaldev.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/content/index.php?pid=19#Ccomphttp://www.compasspoint.org/content/index.php?pid=19#Ccomphttp://www.compasspoint.org/


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Building Blocks or aSustainable Process

What are the key building blocks or developing and sustain-ing a process o multicultural development in an organization?

Based on our work with participating organizations, weidenti ed ve elements that are important or a success ul process. These building blocks are interconnected and eachone supports development o the others.

Clarifying

responsibility& authorityfor movingthe process

forward

Articulating& codifying

assumptions &

commitmentsShiftingculturalnorms

Leadershipdevelopment

Alignment &investment of organizational

players

IOverview o participatingorganizationsThe organizations that participated in CCLI provide arange o human services related to community health andwellness or underserved populations in the San FranciscoBay Area. Their services include community buildingand community development, amily services, housingsupport, mental health services, primary prevention andhealth promotion, in ormation and re erral, primary care,substance abuse treatment, and youth development. Theirannual budgets span rom $250,000 to $15 million. Somehave ewer than ten sta people, while the majority o theorganizations have more than 30 sta at multiple sites.Each organization had previous experience and ongoingactivites related to cultural competence e orts. As a pre-condition to participating, each organization was requiredto have its leaderships commitment and involvement inits multicultural work. Accordingly, in most organizationssenior directors participated with sta rom throughout

the organization in their workgroups.

Organization of the document In Section I, we discuss ve Building Blocks for a SustainableProcess. We identi ed these essential elements or sustaininga process o multicultural organizational change based onour experience in the initiative. For each building block, weprovide examples o work rom participating organizations.

In Section II, we share ve Lessons Learned rom thisproject. These lessons were drawn rom the experienceo the consultants as well as comments and reports romparticipants.

In Section III, we summarize some o the Impacts of Multicultural Development Work that emerged rom theinitiative, including outcomes within the organizationand changes in service delivery.

1. Alignment and investment o organizational players

A crucial aspect o the work was building individual andgroup investment in addressing issues o culture and di -

erence at a deeper level. Aligning champions, leaders, andother players in the organization was identi ed as essential to engaging the entire organization in integrating cultural competence into its day-to-day work. Key to achieving thiswas sur acing and clari ying assumptions about culture anddi erence in a way that drew rom peoples personal experi-ences and that was relevant to their work. As a result, theycould de ne cultural competence and multiculturalism in away that resonated with their personal values rather thanas a meaningless buzzword, obligation, or chore.

The level o organizational engagement and agreementdi ered depending on the agencys structure and stage o

Participating Organizations

Arab Cultural and Community Center

Brighter Beginnings

Catholic Charities CYO

Community Awareness and Treatment Services

CompassPoint Nonprofit Services

Family Support Services of the East Bay

Girls Inc. of Alameda County

Glide Foundation

New Leaf Services

Our Family Coalition

Stop AIDS Project

Womens Cancer Resource Center


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A capacity to listen openly to different ideas, per - spectives, and concerns. When leaders listened openly and non-defensively they gained important informa -tion and insights about what works and what could work better. Their listening and timely responses werealso essential to engendering trust in the processamong staff and other organizational players.

At Family Support Services o the Bay Area (FSSBA), theSenior Managers Team held responsibility or leadingthe organizations cultural competence work. This grouptook on several recommendations that emerged rom anUndoing Racism workshop that sta attended. Thesesenior managers recognized that they needed a commonlanguage and oundation to move the process orward,uni y the agency, and provide leadership or the process.They spent time working with their consultant to clari yassumptions and roles, build trust, and clari y ways torespond proactively to sta recommendations.

The team o ten managers met every other month but hadhad di culty maintaining orward momentum and cleardirection. Although individual managers were doing the workwithin their departments and programs, they didnt have aclear picture o how to move it orward on an agencywidelevel. The executive director, a white woman, also recognizedthat she had not asserted leadership to keep the processmoving, because she was trying to step back to allow peopleo color to lead. These dynamics changed as the executivedirector began to provide more leadership. In addition, asubgroup o the Senior Managers Team, including the execu-tive director, was established with responsibility or providingdirection and ollow up or the process as a whole.

A ter the Senior Managers Team worked together or several months, an agencywide training and dialogue titled Race,Power & Privilege: Interrupting the Cycle o Oppressionwas held and attended by all salaried sta , about 65people. To encourage open dialogue, the managers madea shared commitment to the sta that there would be nonegative repercussions or raising issues and concerns. Asa result o their work together, the managers were able toengage throughout the day as a uni ed team and model open communication and courageous conversations withthe rest o the sta .

3. Shi ting cultural normsParticipating organizations established new cultural normsinternally and opened up orums or courageous conversationson topics that werent typically discussed. Most organizationsworked on shi ting these norms by adopting communica-tion guidelines, modeling new communication behaviors,and building their practice through dialogues and discussion

orums. Through these e orts, organizations exercised a newmuscle to initiate and engage in courageous conversations.Questions like Why arent we keeping people o color in keypositions? or What kinds o questions should we be asking

the process. For example, Womens Cancer Resource Center(WCRC) has a small sta and a large pool o volunteers,including groups ocused speci cally in the A ricanAmerican and Latino communities. WCRC engaged sta andvolunteers in a series o community dialogues to developPrinciples o Cultural Humility to guide the organization.Principles, such as Recognize diversity within eachcultural group and Respect my own boundaries andthose o others, emerged rom sta and volunteerswork with women with cancer rom diverse backgrounds.By engaging constituents rom di erent segments o its work, the organization was able to establish sharedownership, investment, and a sense o community thathad not previously existed. WCRCs nalized Principles o Cultural Humility [www.compasspoint.org/assets/1170_principleso culturalhumil.pd ] were introduced at its annual volunteer recognition event and are being integrated intosta and volunteer orientation materials and activities.Ongoing community dialogues are also being instituted tobreak down silos between distinct community projects and

contribute to a uni ed multicultural organization.

2. Leadership developmentWork on CCLI underscored the importance o cultivatingand developing strong, cohesive leadership in an organiza-tions cultural competence e ort to establish a clear ocus,maintain momentum, and address challenges that arise.Managements commitment was essential to assuring thatmulticulturalism was integrated into existing structures andpractices, rather than remaining on the sidelines. Champi-ons who were not part o the management structure alsoplay an important leadership role in most organizations.

It is generally recommended that both managers and non-managers be involved so multicultural organizational development isnt a top-down driven process; this alsohelps ensure that the perspectives o program and linesta , who o ten are closer to clients and their needs, areincorporated. In several instances in CCLI, a multicultural work group provided a structure or these ormal andin ormal leaders to work in partnership.

The multicultural processes required that this mix o leadersstretch beyond their usual patterns o leadership in orderto establish new patterns within their organizations.Requirements o leadership included:

A commitment to do what it takes to keep culturalcompetence on the organizational agenda. Thiswas particularly challenging in light of competing demands, shrinking resources, and the new level of challenge placed on leaders to sustain their organi -

zations during the economic crisis.

Skills and willingness to engage in courageousconversations that address uncomfortable or contro -versial topics related to multiculturalism. It was alsoespecially powerful when leaders modeled multicul -tural skills.
http://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1170_principlesofculturalhumil.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1170_principlesofculturalhumil.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1170_principlesofculturalhumil.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1170_principlesofculturalhumil.pdf


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clients about their culture? began to be normalized as parto day-to-day activity.

Girls Inc. o Alameda Countys Core (Cultural Competence)Team worked closely with its Senior Leadership Teamto use its planning process as an opportunity to shi tcultural norms. The team convened structured dialogueswith de ned dialogue questions [ www.compasspoint.org/ assets/1166_dialoguequestions.pd ] to engage its sta o over 100 employees in the process. Joint meetings andretreats o the Core Team and Senior Leadership Team gavethese leaders the opportunity to build a shared oundationto lead these dialogues throughout the organization.Discussions with sta groups were held to elicit ideas,opinions, and experiences to in orm development o aplan. Sta , departmental, and program meetings werealso used as orums to promote conversation. The leadersused communication guidelines [ www.compasspoint.org/ assets/1164_communicationguidelines.pd ] and wereintentional about setting a tone that encouraged opencommunication and learning.

4. Articulating and codi yingassumptions and commitments

Most groups were committed to addressing issues o cultureand di erence, but didnt have a shared understandingo what that meant or their organizations. For example,in one organization some sta ocused on racism andinclusion o people o color, whereas others wanted toaddress other isms like ageism or gender bias. In anotherorganization, some wanted to talk about racism and otherisms to build awareness and strengthen interactions.

Others in that organizations believed that this type o dicussion was not relevant in the work environment. Suchdi erences in de ning and ocusing the work sometimes ledto confict or lack o direction.

When people had the opportunity to talk through their as-sumptions and commitments, they usually reached greaterinvestment and alignment on direction. Codi ying these as-sumptions into written documents provided a means to com-municate the ideas and institutionalize cultural competenceinto the abric o the organization on an ongoing basis.

For CompassPoint, this process helped to clari y howthe organization saw its role as an agent o change with

nonpro ts. As a result o the multicultural process, theorganization made a commitment to [s]erve as an activesteward or agent o change or addressing issues o cultureand power at all levels, including the nonpro t eld. Thisincludes building leadership rom diverse communities and

ostering dialogue and action. This perspective about theorganizations role was also integrated into CompassPointstheory o change [ www.compasspoint.org/assets/1165_cpworkingtheoryo changeju.pd ].

5. Clari ying responsibility and authorityor moving the process orward

For many organizations, the responsibilities related to MCODdont t within existing structures or job responsibilities.O ten, a multicultural committee is established without aclear charge or clear linkages to decision making throughoutthe organization, which results in marginalizing the work.

One way to address this concern is to includeadministrative, operations, and program sta in thework groups. This can strengthen linkages betweenkey organizational areas. It is also necessary to clari yorganizationwide responsibility and authority to decideand implement plans. Unless this happens, there may bean expectation that the work group alone is responsible orthe MCOD work. Clari ying the charge o di erent entitieshelps to assure that the work is integral, rather thanmarginalized, within the organization [ www.compasspoint.org/assets/1168_multiculturalworkgroupcha.pd ]. The

ollowing de nitions o responsibilities and authorityworked well or many groups:

Multicultural Work Group: This group createsthe organizational/project plans andmonitors per ormance in meeting the goalsand objectives o the plan. The work groupprovides recommendations on an ongoing basisto management, and sometimes assists withimplementation.

Directors/Senior Managers: These leaders approvethe plan and then are responsible or carrying itout within the existing systems and structure.

They are accountable to the Multicultural WorkGroup or the success ul integration o this workand or managing the implementation.

Board o Directors: The board approves themulticultural plans, holds the organizationaccountable to achieving important outcomes inthe plan, and is accountable to the Multicultural Work Group or implementing multicultural objectives within the board.
http://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1166_dialoguequestions.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1166_dialoguequestions.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1164_communicationguidelines.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1164_communicationguidelines.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1165_cpworkingtheoryofchangeju.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1165_cpworkingtheoryofchangeju.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1165_cpworkingtheoryofchangeju.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1165_cpworkingtheoryofchangeju.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1164_communicationguidelines.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1164_communicationguidelines.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1166_dialoguequestions.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1166_dialoguequestions.pdf


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II Lessons LearnedIn this section, we present ve lessons that emerged asmost common and important to participating organizationsin developing and implementing their multicultural organizational development plans.

1. Pay attention to acknowledging andbuilding upon the organizationshistory with cultural competence.

All o the participating nonpro ts had some history o workin cultural competence. As a result, they carried both richexperiences to build upon and baggage to overcome. Inthese instances, a oundation or moving orward includeslearning rom past experiences, honoring and building onthe work that has been done, and acknowledging the e ortsand commitment o the people who were involved. It is also

important to be thought ul about how to engage the peoplewho were involved as the organization moves ahead.

In one organization, a committee had been working toaddress cultural competence or several years. The commit-tee had conducted a number o activities and developed ade nition statement and communication guidelines. Somemembers o the committee voiced concerns that the organi-zation had not taken its e orts seriously.

The senior leaders responsible or moving the processorward were aced with two di erent sets o needs. On the

one hand, there was a need to establish a group o peoplethat could take responsibility or moving cultural compe-

tence orward on an agency level. On the other hand, therewas a need to ensure that the work o the previous com-mittee would not get lost and that the people who did thatwork would be valued and included in the process.

These issues were addressed in the ollowing ways: Anew committee was established that included previouscommittee members and new members who could helpengage the entire agency in the process. The consultantteam conducted interviews with previous committeemembers and senior leaders. Members o the previous groupparticipated in a workshop with the new group and seniorleaders. Dialogues including all sta were convened. Theseinterviews, training, and dialogues invited sta to share

their thoughts and lessons learned rom past experience andtheir perspectives on what did and didnt work. The workproducts o the previous committee served as a startingpoint or this new phase o work.

2. Balance the internal developmentand work o the team with theneed to engage the whole staf

and maintain transparency andmomentum.

One o the biggest challenges in the process was managingmultiple levels o engagement. One level was the inter-nal work o the multicultural work group, which includedcapacity building and activities related to deliverables,such as guiding principles and workplans, making clientspace more welcoming to all groups, and creating newhiring policies. Another level was sta engagement, whichinvolved surveys, trainings, dialogues, sta report-backs,and inter acing with the management team. Managing thesedi erent levels was particularly demanding or multicultural work group members, given that their committee work wasin addition to their primary job unctions.

In one organization, the multicultural work grouptook several meetings to clari y its role and direction.Meanwhile, sta was not in ormed about the processand concerns about lack o transparency began tosur ace. In order to address the concerns and to maintainmomentum, the team identi ed ways or people toengage in the process, including immediate activities thatcould be initiated without having to wait or the planto be completed. In one o the larger organizations, thecommunications manager, as a member o her organizationsmulticultural work group, developed internal newsletters

to keep sta updated. Strong sta communication wasessential to the process.

3. Acknowledge that individuals willhave diferent reactions and diferentlevels o receptivity to the process.

Part o being culturally competent is recognizing andallowing or people to be in di erent places with regardsto the cultural competence process. For example, in oneorganization there was a di erence among senior managersabout whether it was appropriate to talk about racism andother isms in the workplace. One woman o color sharedher concern that people o color, who deal with racismconstantly in their daily lives, should not have to reliveit in the workplace by discussing the topic. In anotherorganization, there were several people o color whomistrusted the process based on how it had been handledin the past; they were concerned that racism wouldnt becon ronted head on. And some white sta members werereluctant to engage or ear o being attacked or blamed.In all o these instances, dialogue was key to sharing andunderstanding di erent perspectives and nding commonground or moving ahead.


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III4. Dont let resisters set the pace or

the process.While acknowledging di erences, it is important not toallow the people who are most resistant to hold the processback or everyone else. Organizations that operate byconsensus can get stuck when a hand ul o people opposechange. When organizations aced resistance, it was impor-tant to hear the resisters and address their concerns withoutwaiting or them to get on board be ore moving orward. Itwas possible, and o ten necessary, to continue advancing amulticultural change process without expecting ull agree-ment at the outset. For example, one organization that isworking to trans orm its culture conducted trans ormational trainings with di erent teams and programs to build a criti-cal mass o people engaged in the change process. As otherswithin the organization saw the changes in how theseteams were unctioning, interest in the process grew.

5. Courageous conversations oferopportunities or learning and growth.In most organizations, discussions o culture, power, anddi erence are not a norm. Typically, these discussions areuncom ortable and even threatening or the people whoraise the issues and or the people in positions o power.When we avoid these conversations we lose the opportu-nity to proactively address these issues, enrich our workingrelationships, and enhance the e ectiveness o our work.When participating organizations developed the capacity toengage in courageous conversations without shaming andblaming people, tremendous learning and growth occurred

or everyone involved. People learned to understand the

experiences and perspectives o people who are di erentrom themselves. They also learned to see commonality in

their experiences.

In one organization, courageous conversations allowedsta to address the impact o internalized racism oninteractions between sta and program participants o thesame culture. In another, people were able to refect onhow their own communication styles might be perceived byothers and understand each others need or e ective andproductive communication.

Impacts o MulticulturalDevelopment Work onClients and Community

Each o the participating groups created organizational

practices that would ultimately impact its clients and thelarger communities it serves. Following are examples o organizational outcomes that were realized or signi cantprogress that was made:

Increased multicultural capacity o staf.At New Lea , the multicultural development process supportedthe recruitment o more diverse clinical interns, sta , andvolunteer clinicians. This investment made a big di erence inthe delivery o services to diverse populations. It improvedthe organizations ability to ul ll client requests or thera-pists o color, transgender therapists, and Spanish-speakingclinicians. Over the course o the initiative, New Lea s workgroup also revised the organizations community identities

orm to better acilitate matching o providers and clientsbased on clients backgrounds and pre erences.

Through client surveys conducted as a part o multicul-tural assessment, CompassPoints multicultural work grouplearned that A rican American and Latino clients gaugedthe organizations services slightly less avorably than otherethnic and cultural groups. Throughout the two years o thisproject, sta refected on CompassPoints work culture, therecruitment process, and the quality o relationships withpeople and organizations in these communities. As a resulto more ocused attention to recruitment and cultivation o relationships, the organization has made signi cant prog-ress in hiring rom these communities.

In both examples, attention was paid to building the capacityo all sta to work e ectively across di erences throughongoing training and integrating multicultural practicesinto day-to-day work. For New Lea , sta had di cultydiscussing cultural di erences in monthly agencywide caseconsultation and peer review; as a result o the initiativethese topics were integrated into clinical trainings, throughthe use o diverse cultural examples, discussion, and learningopportunities that provided sta multiple options orongoing reading and experiential learning on an individual basis. New Lea gave sta the opportunity to Pick YourOwn Multicultural Homework [www.compasspoint.org/ assets/1169_pickyourownmulticulturalh.pd ] rom a listo assignments with varying intensities. This list was createdwith the understanding that individuals have varying levelso multicultural competency and allowed sta to tailor theirhomework to their particular multicultural development needs.

Increased language capacity.Many organizations have ound it di cult to increase theircapacity to provide in ormation and services in multiplelanguages during this period o shrinking budgets and lay-
http://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1169_pickyourownmulticulturalh.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1169_pickyourownmulticulturalh.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1169_pickyourownmulticulturalh.pdfhttp://www.compasspoint.org/assets/1169_pickyourownmulticulturalh.pdf


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Evaluateprogrammingfor increasedrelevanceto familiesof color

Develop and followmulticultural

communicationguidelines in

meetings andevents

Pursuesstrategichiring toincreasestaff diversity

Clarify,elaborate on,

and updatecore values

ACTIVITIES

Staff is now majority -people of color

Sends a message tocommunities of colorthat the organizationis multicultural instaff and values

OUTCOMEOUTCOME

Provide valuablepreparation/foundationfor organizations nextstrategic plan

Multicultural staff activelyparticipate in venues andcollaborates withnon-LQBTQ groups incommunities of color

OUTCOME Parents of color report

that the organization offersa safe and open space forall participants

Allows staff to have realconversations about race intheir work with the commu-nity (e.g., regarding publicschools, cross-race adoptions)

Activated parents of color and transgenderparents groups

Helps create deeperties to the LGBTfamilies of color andthe communities inwhich they live

OUTCOME

to increase the organizations impact in the community.The graphic below shows some o the major multicultural capacity-building decisions and activities the organizationpursued and the resulting outcomes.

ConclusionOur experiences with the Cultural CompetenceLearning Initiative a rmed that it is possible to buildmulticulturalism into the abric and day-to-day unctioningo an organization. It also deepened our appreciation orthe tremendous complexity and challenge involved in doingthis work. A multicultural organizational developmentapproach requires strong leadership, persistence, andcourage. It involves breaking out o business as usual toask tough questions, create new ways o interacting, andengage many people in di erent ways. It requires a spirito learning and willingness to take risks to try new things.In such an inside out approach, the most immediatechanges occur internally to the organization. This work

builds a solid oundation or developing greater capacityto serve diverse populations, improve access to services,and achieve stronger, healthier communities.


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AcknowledgementsThe Cultural Competence Learning Initiative was made pos-sible through the generosity o The Cali ornia Endowment.We thank TCE or its steady guidance and support on thisinitiative and its ongoing e orts to achieve more diverseand culturally competent health services or all Cali ornians.

About Mayeno ConsultingLaurin Mayeno has over 30 years experience with nonpro t,public, and philanthropic organizations serving diversepopulations. Her consulting practice, Mayeno Consulting, buildsthe capacity and power o people to create systems, services,and communities that work or everyone. She supports leadersand teams to integrate a multicultural perspective, authenticcommunication, and shared leadership into the day-to-dayculture and practices o organizations.

Mayeno Consulting

tel 415.682.8427

www.mayenoconsulting.com

publication design: traversosantana.com

About CompassPointCompassPoint Nonpro t Services is a consulting, research,and training organization providing nonpro ts withmanagement tools, strategies, and resources to lead changein their communities. With a presence in San Francisco,the East Bay, and Silicon Valley, we work with community-based nonpro ts in executive transition, planning, boardso directors, nance systems and business planning,

undraising, and technology.

CompassPoint Nonproft Services

731 Market Street, Suite 200

San Francisco, CA 94103

tel 415.541.9000

www.compasspoint.org
http://www.mayenoconsulting.com/http://www.traversosantana.com/http://www.compasspoint.org/http://www.compasspoint.org/http://www.traversosantana.com/http://www.mayenoconsulting.com/

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