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A system for designing training for multicultural groups, called STADIA, is described in this article.

ARTICLES

Articles and news on intercultural business topics are archived under our "News" services, so please click on this link.

RESOURCES ON JAPAN

Click here to access a case study on Japanese organizations in the U.S. Be sure to retain our copyright and url on the material!

Want to learn some Japanese phrases? Click here for an MP3 file on Asking Directions, Transportation and Telephone, and Clarifying Meaning.

NIKKEI NET INTERACTIVE introduces the Japan Economic Almanac 2001 - Japan's Information Technology Revolution.This special section provides evaluations of the IT Revolution and its impact on various industriesin Japan. The Almanac features key facts & figures and coverage of all aspects of the Japanese economy.NIKKEI NET INTERACTIVE: http://www.nni.nikkei.co.jp/FR

Some books for learning more about Japan

Click on the picture or link to learn more or to order:

Definitely buy and READ this book! Written by John Nathan (September 1999), "Sony: The Private Life" is a must-read story of insider's tales at Sony is vivid, detailed, entertaining AND educational. John is fluent in Japanese language and culture, and is an excellent writer. These factors produce a volume that will show you the variety of personalities within Japanese culture, take you step-by-step through the decision-making processes (or lack thereof) at a major Japanese multinational, let you glimpse inside the psyche of Akio Morita attempting to be an "international" person, and give you a perspective on how the Japanese at Sony experienced high-level foreigners within the organization.

If you have time to read only one book on Japanese culture, buy Jack Condon's "With Respect to the Japanese." It is easily readable in a couple of hours (at only 92 pages, you can take it on your flight to Tokyo and still have a full night's sleep), and full of very meaningful cross-cultural insights and information. Although written in 1984, a culture's values change slowly, and most of what Jack shares with us holds very true in 2000.

The incredibly popular first novel by Arthur S. Golden, published September 1999, "Memoirs of a Geisha" is one of those page-turners that you just hate to put down. An American man writing an "autobiography" as a Japanese woman? Extensively researched, this book nevertheless presents Sayuri, the subject, with rather westernized thought patterns and communication styles. The details of life as a geisha in 1930's Gion, however, and the background the book provides on Japanese culture, justify the fun you'll have reading it.

Danger and Opportunity: Resolving Conflict in U.S.-Based Japanese Subsidiaries. Filled with authentic incidents of cross-cultural conflict, this book (published 1998) tells us why cultural conflicts arise, how they can be mediated, and how the company can grow from having undergone them. Cliff Clarke and Doug Lipp present a conflict resolution model of 1) problem identification, 2) problem clarification, 3) cultural exploration, 4) organizational exploration, 5) conflict resolution, 6) impact assessment, and 7) organizational integration. Call Intercultural Press at 1-800-370-2665 or USA 207-846-5181.

Laura J. Kriska's first-person account of her years as a young American woman working at Honda Motors in Japan, "The Accidental Office Lady" is an enjoyable as well as informative, though somewhat outdated, read.

How about watching a Japanese movie or two?

One of our favorite movies, "Tampopo" is the story of a young widow named "dandelion" who struggles to make the perfect bowl of noodles. With the popularity of cookbooks as novels these days, and food films such as Babbette's Feast, the 1986 "Tampopo," about food culture in Japan, should make for a perfect evening's viewing. Some sexy scenes may mean "keep the kids away," but there are some WONDERFUL satires of Japanese society (the young businessman whose knowledge of French cuisine offends) and values (doryoku or effort, senpai/kohai or mentor/apprentice) in this movie. Well worth seeing and thinking about. Often called the first Japanese "noodle western," you'll have loads of laughs despite the English subtitles.

Directed by Itami Juzo (as is "Tampopo"), who was attacked by a yakuza (Japanese mafioso) in 1992 after releasing this film. "Minbo" chronicles a hotel staff's efforts to rid themselves of yakuza. As usual, Itami bounces among several side stories and the main story, a common Japanese storytelling technique (kishotenketsu). Some insights into the Japanese legal system, the strengths of Japanese women, make the film educationally worthwhile. How about an evening with "Minbo" and then Fox's "The Sopranos?" Any cross-cultural comparisons you'd like to share?

Very popular around the world, what better way to learn about Japanese communication and conflict resolution styles than by watching "Shall We Dance?" Chronicling the hidden life of a "salaryman" who attends dance classes in the evening and lusts after his teacher, we see how his wife deals with her suspicions about what he's up to. A wonderful "climactic" scene in the couple's home, when she "confronts" her husband. Compare that with the dance teacher's anger at her father, the school's owner, in an earlier scene!