Members of all cultures tend to internalize and become consciously unaware of their own norms. Thus that system is constantly reinforced, and they have less exposure to contrasting values and behaviors than do members of minority groups. It is often the invisible differences in expectations, values, goals, and communication styles that cause cultural differences to be misinterpreted as personal violations of trust or respect. To assist in unraveling these key differences, we developed the Normative Communication Styles and Values chart. That cultural competence is something we each pick up, with time, by working with persons who are different from ourselves.
Cultural competence is a skill, and perhaps an ability that requires substantial effort to learn.
Working with someone from a different ethnic tradition does not necessarily lead to uncovering differences in expectations, communication styles, and values. An analogy is that of a married couple that has lived together 50 years or more. Even they can fail to learn each other's underlying assumptions, expectations, and communication styles. Instead of learning these invisible differences, they develop a reliable and consistent misinterpretation, which leads to predictability in the relationship, not understanding. The basis for collecting information in many non-Anglo American households is personal.