Theory of “Turning Differences into Value” is built up from layers of 6 stages.

Understanding

Aimed at obtaining the minimum necessary understanding of company policy.

Trust

Requires that work is carried out as directed.

Suggestions

Bosses and cross-cultural employees can make suggestions through discussion and dialogue.

Development

A situation where bosses and cross-cultural employees make suggestions to each other through discussion and dialogue. This is developed and distributed throughout the company, through various media and processes, using personnel and in-house information systems.

Deepening

The system of the organization becomes more tolerant of heterogeneity compared to stage one. Differences based on national origin become a non-issue.

Enculturation

The culture of the organization becomes more tolerant of heterogeneity compared to stage two. Differences based on national origin become a non-issue.

※Cultures are patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting, which are collectively shared with people who are within the same social environment. There are layers of cultural level like national, regional, ethnic, religious, linguistic, gender, generation and social class. In Six-Stage Theory employees whose cultural levels are different from the organization are defined as “cross-cultural employees”.