ABSTRACT
The foundation cultural competencies are for cross-cultural individual interactions with other employees. The research on cultural competence also shows the importance of creating culturally competent organizations. The managerial cultural competencies should also incorporate the US Office of Personnel Management leadership competencies for managing diversity. The top executives, managers, supervisors, and employees will each have their own specific duties in creating a culturally competent organization. Many top executives are political appointees who serve for a limited time. The relationship between the political appointees and the senior civil service executives is particularly crucial in developing culturally competent organizations. The relationship between political appointees and the senior career officials is a fascinating and interesting one. Political appointees and career civil service employees can bring different perspectives to the organization. The political appointee may have more organizational authority than the senior career officials who report to that position.
