"Weaving strength from differences"

     Company Information

About Us

What Defines Our Services

Sample of Recent Projects

Client List

Our objective is to promote the opportunities presented by the diversity of our global and multicultural society.

About Nipporica Associates

Nipporica Associates was established in July of 1989 by Dianne Saphiere to promote communication and collaboration across difference. We provide training and consulting services as well as products to enable the effective utilization of diversity.

We believe that

  • An organization's human assets are its most important and profitable ones over the long term.
  • The effective use of the cultural diversity present in any organization is key to its growth and survival in the global economy.
  • It is possible to create an environment in which people with diverse value orientations work together productively, innovatively, efficiently, and enjoyably.
  • It is possible to stimulate and channel the creative and productive energy of a diverse workforce in directions which are optimally effective for both the organization and the individual employee.

Our objectives are

  • Help our clients to realize these fundamental beliefs within their businesses.
  • To cultivate long-term partnerships with clients and provide them with a comprehensive package of cross-cultural services tailored to their organizations.
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What Defines Nipporica Associates' Services?

1. Consultants and trainers who will work with you as a team to design and deliver projects to your specifications and needs

  • Flexibility to modify design, timing, etc. based upon findings of needs assessment
  • Long-term commitment to a few primary clients in order to deliver the best quality services
  • Role modelling of cross-cultural teamwork for your organization
  • Integration of learnings into the work, often by involving actual tasks and colleagues in the training or consulting process

2. Highly tailored training and consulting projects based on extensive research of your industry, company, key players, and corporate culture

  • Objectives and design recreated for each project
  • Situation-specific case studies that meet your organization's needs and objectives
  • Practical role plays typical of the situations in which your people will find themselves
  • Bottom-line results and approach

3. Training that emphasizes the skills necessary to succeed in business across cultures

  • Task-focused training and consulting
  • Interventions that respect participants' personal strengths and experience
  • Interactive focus based on the knowledge that people behave differently with foreigners than they do when dealing domestically
  • Development of the whole person by working with people to enhance their capabilities in a manner that is personally comfortable

4. The commitment to deliver the expertise needed for your project

  • Associates who are multilingual, multicultural, experienced in international business, specialists in intercultural communication, and experts in training design and project management
  • Consultative and facilitative, striving to create a context in which clients will clearly see how they can be more cross-culturally effective
A Sample of Nipporica Projects Conducted Recently
 
Intercultural Skills Training

Design, development, delivery and worldwide rollout of an experiential two-day workshop designed to improve participants' intercultural effectiveness for global business. Includes virtual teaming competencies, using English for international and intercultural communication (verbal and written), analyzing cross-cultural miscommunication, understanding and leveraging differences in decision making, and high context learning.

A series of workshops and working meetings for a computer maker to equip cross-functional work teams with skills for decision making and problem solving across difference.

A series of customized one to three day training workshops to prepare U.S. insurance executives for traveling to Asia, getting information from government and industry officials and negotiating with potential joint venture partners. Content took executives through a five year period from initial contact to product registration, hiring personnel and setting up an office.

Two day training in Asia for Asian expatriate and his family; two more days in the U.S., plus a one-day session with the expat and his receiving (American) work team, for a major chemical manufacturer.

Two day Bicultural Organization Management course for the multicultural Board of Directors of an international hotel chain.

A series of one-day workshops on global management skills, enabling managers to cnduct business without the interference of culture and with the advantages diversity provides. Managers practiced skills for demonstrating credibilty, competence, respect and persuasiveness across cultures.

Intercultural Team Effectiveness

Multicultural team development and business planning session for North American, Latin American, Asian and European executives of a European-based global manufacturing organization.

Cross-functional team effectiveness project including interviews and meeting observation, summary report, kickoff meeting and one year development plan written with the client for a team of research scientists, technicians, business development and marketing managers.

One week professional development program for in-house and independent HR and OD consultants, entitled "Facilitating Productivity in Intercultural Teams".

Kickoff skills training and ongoing process consultation for a major organizational redesign/streamlining effort.

Intercultural Consulting

Consulting and nine-month on-site training to facilitate the integration of two corporate cultures resulting from the buy-out of a Japanese company by a U.S. chemical company. Training and consulting issues included aspects of business systems and operations, business communication patterns, and the national and corporate cultures of those involved.

Selection and assessment of personnel for overseas assignment, including detailed reports on the types of structures and systems in which a given employee would best be able to fulfill his/her potential.

Design of a multicultural management development system, including suggestions for organizational objectives, job descriptions and career ladders, cross-functional rotation, expatriate assignments, and training and development plan.

Publication of Ecotonos, a simulation of multicultural problem solving and decision making, for use in intercultural organization and human resource development.

Design of Redundanc’a, a second language simulation designed to promote empathy with nonnative speakers by providing monolingual people the emotional experience of speaking in a second language.

Development of the Cultural Pinwheel, a three-dimensional model of communication style, thought patterns, teamwork and leadership styles, for use with a facilitator or independently by team members.

Intercultural Research

In-depth research for U.S. high technology company to assess the impact of culture and business practices on the strategic distribution system support functions of its Asian operations. Final report, written with the buy-in of local implementers, contained recommendations regarding the need for creation of a new management position, restructuring of delivery of training and support to distributors and specific suggestions for training plan and courses, development time-frames and budget needs.

Nine-month study of 55 managers in 12 global business teams, representing 9 nationalities and residing in 7 countries, to develop a preliminary profile of a productive intercultural work team.

Assessment of the job competencies of thirty-five employees in a division of a U.S. corporation in Japan, screening of local training and development vendors, and development of a one year T&D plan for the division.

Intercultural Human Resource Development

Localization and adaptation for effective use in Asia of a corporate leadership development program, a performance appraisal system, a pay and promotion scale, a sales training program and a marketing skills development program for several U.S. based companies.

Detailed position description and structured interview guide for selection of a Japanese national for a key position with the Japanese subsidiary of a U.S. company.

Development of four training modules on international business, relocation and transitions. Nipporica delivered the pilot programs and trained the in-house trainers to deliver and customize the modules.

Licensing of training materials from our Beyond Bowing course, and one week training of in-house trainers to deliver the program.

Development of four in-house courses for expatriate and family pre-departure orientation, as well as training-of-in-house-trainers to deliver the courses.

Nipporica's Customers Include

ABB
Acadia Polymers
AgLead
Alaska Airlines
American President Lines
ANA Hotels
Apple Computer
The Bavarian Ministry of Economics
Booz-Allen and Hamilton
Borg-Warner Automotive
Cabot
Children's Hospital of Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bell
Citibank
Continental Airlines
DaiNippon Ink and Chemicals
Digital Semiconductor
Federal Express
The Intercultural Communication Institute
Japan Acrylic Chemical Industries
Japan Grayline
Japan Management Association
Japan Travel Bureau
Levi Strauss
Mitsui Advanced Media
Moody's Investor Services
Nikon Precision Instruments
NOVA Gas
Ontario Police College
Paradyne
The Principal Financial Group
Radio Nederland
Realty One
Rohm and Haas U.S., Pacific Region, Japan and Korea
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Dutch Shell Oil
Samsung
The School for International Training
The Seattle Times
SK Telecom
Southwest Regional Labs
Tandem Computers
Texas Instruments
Tokyo Organic Chemical Industries
UNUM Life Insurance
Xerox International Partners
Wilson Learning

We design and facilitate processes, develop programs and materials, train trainers, and publish tools and materials to aid in the utilization of difference. We welcome your comments and questions.

 

 

8425 Cherokee Lane, Leawood, KS 66206, U.S.A., tel (913) 901-0243 fax (913) 901-0244

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Revised: April 19, 2003.