Cultural Competence and Beyond: Working Across Cultures in Culturally Dynamic Partnerships

Abstract

The processes of globalisation are increasing cross-cultural interactions at exponentially faster rates and in increasingly complex ways. While these interactions can lead to much greater opportunities for positive change in all aspects of human life, they can also lead to conflict between cultures, whether overt or covert. In this article, cultural competence, a very popular framework for working across cultures, is critically examined and some of the major issues with using this framework are explored. An alternative to this framework, ‘culturally dynamic partnership’, is presented as being a more equitable and inclusive way of working across cultures. This framework builds on the strengths of earlier frameworks and presents a way of moving forwards that empowers all the participants in collaborative partnerships.