Season 7 Episode #2 Navigating Crisis Across Cultural Boundaries: A Leadership Guide

Send us a text

Cultural competence isn't just a buzzword—it's a lifesaving skill in crisis management. Drawing from shocking Hurricane Katrina statistics, we reveal how emergency responses crumbled when officials failed to understand the communities they served. With 55% of New Orleans residents lacking evacuation transportation and deep-rooted historical mistrust between communities and government agencies, the disaster exposed catastrophic gaps in cultural understanding.

From COVID-19's varied global reception to natural disaster responses, this episode dives into how cultural perspectives fundamentally shape crisis outcomes. We examine Dr. Knox and Dr. Haupt groundbreaking research on cultural competency during emergencies and break down the four essential principles every crisis manager needs: awareness of personal biases, knowledge of cultural contexts, effective cross-cultural communication skills, and adaptability in changing situations.

America's demographic landscape is transforming rapidly, with five generations now sharing the workforce, significant shifts in family structures, and growing diversity across multiple dimensions. These changes demand a new approach to crisis management—one where teams reflect the communities they serve, partner with local leaders, and communicate through culturally appropriate channels. Whether you're a first responder, business leader, or community organizer, these practical strategies will dramatically improve your effectiveness when the next crisis inevitably strikes.

Ready to build these critical skills? Visit jebedmins.com for immediate access to cultural competence training without waiting for consulting services. The question isn't if another crisis will happen—it's whether you'll be culturally prepared when it does.

Resources:  

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9780367321888/cultural-competency-emergency-crisis-management-claire-connolly-knox-brittany-brie-haupt

COME SAY Hey!!

Instagram: @cultrallyjebeh_

Facebook: @JebehCulturalConsulting

Pinterest: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting

LinkedIn: @Jebeh Cultural Consulting

Leave a Review on our Podcast! We value your feedback!

Follow our Blog

Enroll In Our Mini Courses
Buy My eBook: Empowering Your BIPOC Students

Enroll In My Digital Course: How To Be A Culturally Competent Leader

Buy My K-12 Lesson Plans

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Enjoy the Cultural Curriculum Chat podcast? Share the love! Refer a friend to Buzzsprout and both you and your friend will enjoy exclusive benefits. Click the link...

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Cultural Curriculum
chat.
Today we are diving into atopic that is more relevant than
ever cultural competence incrisis management.
Buckle up, my friend, becausethis isn't just another boring
lecture, honey.
We are about to explore howunderstanding different cultures

(00:22):
can make or break our responsesto global crises.
But first let's address theelephant that's in the room what
exactly is cultural competencein crisis management?
Well, imagine if you're afirefighter, but instead of just
putting out fires, you need tocommunicate with people from all

(00:43):
walks of life in the middle ofchaos.
All right, now that is culturalcompetence in a nutshell.
It's about understanding andrespecting diverse perspectives
when the world is falling apart.
Now let's look at some realworld examples that'll blow your
mind.
Okay, remember the COVID-19pandemic?

(01:05):
Of course you do.
We're still dealing with it.
But here's something you mightnot have considered Different
cultures responded to thiscrisis in widely different ways.
In some Asian countries, wearingmasks were already a common
practice, so people adaptedquickly, but in the Western part

(01:30):
of the world, it was likepulling teeth to get some folks
to cover their faces.
This isn't about pointingfingers.
It's just about understandinghow cultural norms can impact
crisis responses.
But wait, there's more.
Let's talk about naturaldisasters.
When Hurricane Katrina hit NewOrleans in 2005, rescue efforts

(01:53):
were hampered by a lack ofcultural understanding.
Many residents refused toevacuate because they didn't
trust government officials, amistrust rooted in historical
racial tensions.
Now this shows how crucial itis to consider cultural contexts

(02:14):
in crisis situations.
I found this wonderful bookwritten by Dr Claire Conley Knox
and Dr Brittany Bree Hopped,and their title of their review,
or their book.
I'll have it in the show notesso you could read it.
It's called Cultural Competencyfor Emergency and Crisis

(02:37):
Management.
They talk about concepts,theories and case studies, and
one of their highlights was theHurricane Katrina.
And this is according to theirresearch finding.
They said, and I quote,hurricane Katrina in 2005
impacted the United States innumerous ways, especially rising
to the surface of socialinequities in New Orleans, and

(03:02):
it resulted in unethicaldecision making amongst first
responders, business owners andpolitical officials.
They also dive deep into thestatistics and the demographics
of the context of why there wassuch a mistrust when disaster
struck.
They said in their findings,23% of the people living in New

(03:26):
Orleans lived in poverty.
That was twice the nationalaverage at the time.
55% did not own a car or haveany means to evacuate, 57% had a
household income of less than$20,000.
And it keeps going by saying76% had children under the age

(03:51):
of 18 with them at the shelter,77 had high school education or
less and 93% were AfricanAmerican.
So keep that in mind when we'retalking about having the
wherewithal of understanding thepeople that you're serving,

(04:11):
especially in communicating withcultural nuances and cultural
norms and understandinghistorical trauma, especially
with that demographic whendisaster did strike.
So the key principles ofunderstanding why cultural
competency is so important whenit comes to crisis management,

(04:36):
because it talks about oneawareness recognizing your own
cultural biases and how theymight affect your decisions.
Second step is knowledge ofknowing of the cultures that you
are dealing with their history,their values and their
communication styles.
And, number three, developingthose skills and understanding

(04:59):
the ability to communicateeffectively across cultural
boundaries and flexibility.
Be ready to adapt your approachbased on the different cultural
nuances.
The different cultural nuances.

(05:20):
So they keep talking about intheir study how 78% of Americans
are still living paycheck topaycheck, according to Friedman,
when disaster struck.
So that's just one piece ofevidence of the crisis of
Hurricane Katrina and thedemographics of the people that
were living at New Orleans atthe time and you're probably
telling me okay, jeb, that'swell and good.

(05:40):
I need to make sure that I havethe awareness of the cultural
group that I am serving andunderstanding my own cultural
biases and the people that I amgoing to serve.
I need to have knowledge aboutthose cultures that I'm dealing
with and their values and theircommunication, and I need to
have those skills to be aneffective communicator and I

(06:02):
need to be flexible and adapt towhat I think is true, but what
other people are thinking istrue, but how am I actually
going to do it?
And, don't worry, I have gotyou covered with some very
practical strategies.
But before we get into thosestrategies, I want you to
understand that the research outthere, especially with our

(06:23):
ever-changing demographic it'stalking about Pew Research
Center and they did a PopulationAssociation of America
conference and they talked aboutthese top six demographic
shifts from 2019.
And it includes millennialsbeing the largest adult

(06:45):
generation in the United States.
But they are starting to sharethat spotlight with Gen Z.
In fact, the workforce is a mixof five generations and that,
to me, is unprecedented.
We've got baby boomers,generation X Yep, yep, that's me
.
I'm already raising the roof.

(07:05):
I'm representing Gen YMillennials and Gen Z Latinx
people are projected to be thelargest racial and ethnic
minority group in the UnitedStates.
The American family alsocontinues to change 25% of
children living in single-parenthouseholds and that is a big

(07:29):
trend going on.
The immigrant population isapproaching record high and
remains, but it also remainsbelow that of many other
countries around the world.
Definitely, research and becritical thinkers, especially
when we're talking aboutimmigrants in this country,

(07:49):
knowing the various differentbackgrounds, especially
socioeconomically, evenimmigration status, racial
background and even the makeupof different households.
This will also help youunderstand how diverse our
country is.
And it's not just when we'rethinking about learning about

(08:13):
different cultures.
I'm not saying specificallyracially and ethnically, I'm
saying diverse in cultures ofgender, diverse in cultures of
orientation, diverse in cultureof household income, and there's
so much when we're talkingabout diversity and having the
wherewithal to understand.

(08:34):
That is so important anddiversifying yourself by these
practical strategies, especiallywhen the next crisis happens,
not if, but when.
You know we always got to beprepared.
Hey, I'm a Girl Scout by tradegrowing up, so we always have to
be prepared when things comeabout right.

(08:55):
First things first, you need todiversify your team, and that's
what I'm talking about.
Diverse backgrounds fromcultures of all walks of life is
so important, so keep that inmind by having a diverse
cultural background group ofteam members with you, engage
with those community leaders.
They provide the boots on theground of valuable insights and

(09:19):
they can also help build trust.
They can be the liaisonsbetween you and your
organization and the communitythat you are serving, using
culturally appropriatecommunication channels.
Don't assume everyone uses thesame platform or responds to the
same messaging.
You know that's another thingto assume.

(09:41):
Everybody has a smartphone.
Not everybody does, so how canyou communicate?
The mission and the tasks athand is so important Providing
cultural competence training,making sure your team is
prepared before another crisishits.
I have, on my website, done foryou cultural competence

(10:03):
trainings, mini courses that youand your staff can purchase
right now to get the ballrolling.
You don't need to sign up for aconsulting agreement with me,
because I have a lot of clientsthat I am serving right now and
the wait list is wait listing.
If you know what I'm saying andif you don't want to wait that

(10:24):
long, please get on my websiteand take those cultural
competence trainings right now.
It's right there for you onjebedminscom and again, I will
have that information in my shownotes and description so you
can continue to do this workwith yourself and with your

(10:45):
staff.
I know I gave you a lot ofinformation today and I really
want you to understand what welearned today, first and
foremost, when we're talkingabout cultural competence in
crisis management.
Cultural competence is a crucialskill for effective crisis
management in our global society.

(11:08):
We are an interconnected worldpeople, so by understanding and
respecting diverse perspectives,we can respond to crises more
effectively and passionately.
But here's the thing Culturalcompetence isn't something you
can develop overnight.
It takes time, effort and awillingness to learn.

(11:31):
So I'm challenging you to starttoday.
Look up some resources oncultural competence competence
and, better yet, engage withpeople from different cultural
backgrounds.
Trust me, it will make you abetter leader, a better
communicator and a better friend.
I hope you found this episodehelpful and don't forget to

(11:52):
comment, leave a review, becausethe more you review this
podcast, the more reach I getand have more listeners, and I'm
so thankful that you'relistening.
And until next time, staycurious, stay compassionate and,
most importantly, stayculturally competent.
See you later.
Bye-bye.