Abstract

Knowledge flows across cultures have become an integral element of the global economy, but attempts to superimpose foreign practices on local context continue to experience mixed success and create concern that indigenous knowledge is routinely devalued in its interaction with expertise from abroad. External consultants and trainers struggle to convey new concepts and ideas across barriers of language and culture, while participants in the local work force come to resent their perceived inability to influence key decisions impacting their work. But even when foreign experts do attempt to adapt their recommendations to local needs, they may find their capacity to extract important contextual information limited by communication factors outside of their control. Using two case studies of interaction between Asian medical staff and foreign consultant advisors, we explore how appropriate use of animated dynamic models can facilitate cross-cultural knowledge flows, thus providing the basis for adaptation of Western expertise to local realities in a process of mutually reinforced learning.