What is Cultural Humility—and Why Does It Matter for Your Organization?

In today’s diverse work environments, the unique perspective each team member brings to the table can be a valuable asset to a company’s overall success. For each individual, this perspective is shaped by a lifetime of experiences and cultural influences that inform how they communicate, collaborate, and solve problems.

Recognizing and valuing these different backgrounds and viewpoints not only enriches the workplace for employees, but also the organization as a whole. According to Deloitte, organizations with inclusive cultures are six times more likely to be innovative and agile—and eight times more likely to achieve better business outcomes.

For decades, employees and employers alike have been rightly pushing for greater cultural competency in the workplace—i.e., the ability to understand and respect each others’ cultural differences. More recently, there’s been a growing movement to practice cultural humility as well.

But what is cultural humility, and why does it matter?

Cultural humility is a term coined by Dr. Melanie Tervalon and Dr. Jann Murray-García, originally developed to address inequities in the healthcare field.

Building on the concept of competence, humility encourages us to examine our own cultural identity through a continuous process of self-reflection, self-critique, and lifelong learning. By working to expand our internal awareness, we can uncover and reflect on our unique cultural background and beliefs.

When employers are able to foster cultural competency and humility in their company culture, they create a psychologically safe environment for everybody in the workplace. Not only does this have a positive impact on overall workplace wellness, but it also improves the individual mental health of each team member. 

According to Mental Health America, employees who feel valued for their cultural identity and unique perspective report feeling higher rates of emotional and mental safety in the workplace. Of these same workers who feel psychologically safe, over 80% felt less stressed by work.

But reduced stress isn’t the only advantage of practicing cultural humility and competence. Everyone in the workplace can benefit from:

• Improved sense of belonging: When employees see their cultural identity is appreciated and respected, they feel more welcome in the workplace and free to be themselves.

• Reduced interpersonal conflicts: Cultural humility encourages everyone to examine their own perspectives and that of others to set aside any implicit or unconscious biases.

• Healthier relationships with colleagues: By promoting empathy and open-mindedness, humility allows coworkers to break down barriers and build stronger relationships.

• Increased creativity and smoother collaboration: Diverse perspectives coming together to solve problems often leads to innovative, out-of-the-box thinking.

• Continuous personal and professional development: Cultural humility is founded on the idea of lifelong learning, which encourages continuous education and self-improvement.

Of course, employees aren’t the only ones to benefit from this critical cultural skill. In fact, all of these perks are what enable businesses to:

1. Create a Psychologically Safe Work Environment

It’s impossible to understate the value of psychological safety in the workplace. By fostering cultural humility, organizations can create environments where employees feel secure and valued—free to voice their ideas and concerns without fear or reprisal or ridicule. This itself creates a more open and inclusive workplace.

2. Foster Greater Innovation and Creativity

Teams that feel comfortable enough to express their true ideas are able to brainstorm more freely and think outside of conventional frameworks. Employers can harness this collective creativity to develop groundbreaking ideas and solutions that keep products and services relevant across different cultures, allowing businesses to stay competitive and dynamic.

3. Gain New Perspectives to Inform Decision Making

Input from diverse populations can also empower better decisions, allowing decision-makers to consider multiple facets of a situation. Not only does this minimize blind spots and potential biases, but it also encourages everyone to think differently and consider other perspectives. This approach can help companies navigate complex global challenges more effectively and adapt to changing market demands.

4. Build Stronger Relationships with Customers in Diverse Markets

Beyond the cultural encounters that occur within the workforce, humility is also key to building trust and rapport with customers and clients from diverse backgrounds. Understanding and respecting cultural nuances allows businesses to tailor their interactions and offerings to meet the unique needs of others. This personalized approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also boosts loyalty and expands market reach.

5. Enhance Corporate Reputation and Recruitment Efforts

Today’s employees want more than just cultural diversity—they want an employer that values inclusivity. In fact, 42% of candidates say they highly prioritize diversity and inclusivity when they’re looking for jobs. Practicing cultural humility can significantly improve a company’s reputation and loyalty among existing employees, making it an employer of choice for top talent across different backgrounds. 

While the practice of examining our own cultural context and biases might sound simple enough, implementing cultural humility in the workplace will require a bit more than just self-reflection. 

It requires a commitment from all levels of the organization to deepen everyone’s collective understanding and embrace each other’s differences without judgment.

Here are 10 strategies to help foster cultural humility in your workplace:

1. Become a Role Model

Like many aspects of workplace wellness, improving cultural awareness starts with action from the top. 

Leaders have a unique opportunity and responsibility to set the tone for cultural humility in the workplace. By demonstrating a commitment to self-reflection, openly discussing their own learning journey, and showing genuine respect for diverse viewpoints, leaders can send a powerful message about the organization’s values and inspire their teams to follow suit. 

2. Encourage Mindfulness and Self-Reflection 

Mindfulness is a critical part of cultural humility. Employees at all levels of an organization should be encouraged to engage in practices that foster greater internal awareness, such as journaling, meditation, and guided self-reflection sessions. These tools can help them recognize their own unconscious biases and understand how these biases impact their behavior and decisions, ultimately leading to more thoughtful and inclusive interactions.

3. Foster Open Communication

It’s also crucial to create channels for open, honest, and respectful communication. Encourage team members to share their cultural experiences and perspectives, and be sure to listen actively and without judgment. 

Implementing informal diversity talks or forums provides a great opportunity—and a safe space—for employees to learn about important cultural issues and share insights. This open dialogue can help break down barriers and build mutual respect and understanding.

4. Host Discussions to Gain a Deeper Understanding

Similarly, employers can also facilitate regular diversity dialogues to cover cultural topics and deepen understanding and appreciation among employees. These discussions can allow team members to explore various cultural backgrounds in a respectful and educational setting, highlighting different traditions, beliefs, and lived experiences. These sessions can also be led by cultural experts or focus on peer-sharing activities—the goal being to provide a structured forum for fostering empathy and broadening perspectives.

5. Offer Training Programs on Cultural Humility

For a more formalized approach to fostering cultural humility, employers can invest in training programs that not only educate employees about each other’s cultural differences but also delve deeper into how these backgrounds result in implicit bias. More importantly, they’re designed to equip employees with the practical skills they need to cultivate cultural humility, sensitivity, and competency in their daily lives.

6. Integrate Policies Into Workplace Framework

In addition to structured discussions and training programs, employers should also implement clear policies and structures that reinforce cultural humility. These frameworks should actively promote diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through policies around respecting and providing flexibility for different cultural practices, protecting individuals against discrimination, and ensuring inclusive hiring practices. Going a step further, employers should introduce regular audits to ensure these inclusivity policies aren’t just proclaimed, but actively practiced.

7. Support Employee Resource Groups

Employee resource groups (ERGs) are vital in providing both a social support system and platform to speak for people of various cultural identities within a company. Forming ERGs that focus on different aspects of cultural diversity can uplift underrepresented groups, allowing them to feel more connected and supported while educating others about different backgrounds and perspectives.

8. Provide Flexibility for Cultural Practices

Accommodating cultural practices in the workplace goes a long way in fostering a more inclusive environment. This could involve offering flexible working hours to accommodate various cultural or religious practices or making changes to an outdated dress code to be more inclusive of diverse attire. 

These flexibilities demonstrate respect for individual cultural identities and help employees feel valued and understood.

9. Hold Each Other Accountable

While cultural humility often involves holding ourselves accountable, it should also be a shared responsibility in the workplace. Employees at all levels should be able to address behavior they see as insensitive without fear of retaliation. Leaders should implement accountability mechanisms to ensure that everyone maintains respectful, inclusive behavior.

10. Acknowledge Mistakes and Commit to Continuous Improvement

It’s alright to make mistakes—so long as we acknowledge them and commit to doing better. 

This requires a culture that encourages people to learn from their mistakes and recognize that everyone is on their own journey of developing cultural humility. The mindset of lifelong learning is crucial, as are constructive responses to cultural misunderstandings. Together, they promote an environment of forgiveness and understanding that aims to educate and unify rather than chastise.

Interested in learning more about how to integrate the principles of cultural humility into your workplace wellness program? 

WellRight offers a comprehensive solution designed to foster greater inclusivity and promote healthier practices both in and out of the workplace.

Request a demo to see how we can help you build a more culturally humble and thriving organization.