The role of language skills in corporate communication

Andersen, Helle Raun; Rasmussen, Erik Stavnsager

doi:10.1108/13563280410551150

Cited by 61 publications

(51 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Scholars on both sides of the Atlantic had investigated language from a variety of perspectives for many years. Researchers based in northern Europe (Andersen & Rasmussen, 2004;BarnerRasmussen, 2003;Marschan et al, 1997;MarschanPiekkari et al, 1999aMarschanPiekkari et al, , 1999b, the United Kingdom (Holden, 2002(Holden, , 2008Feely, 2003) and Australia (Feely & Harzing, 2003;Harzing & Feely, 2008;Maclean, 2006;Welch et al, 2005;Welch & Welch, 2008) started to pull the momentum together into a distinct stream of research in IB. In the United States, Brannen (2004) coined the term "semantic fit" and brought it to bear on the transfer of assets in a multinational context; Luo and Shenkar (2006) put forth the notion of the MNC as a "multilingual community" whose members used a range of languages to interact with each other.…”

Section: Recent Developmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The multifaceted role of language in international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to MNC theory and performance

2014

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Language lies at the heart of international business (IB) activities, yet language as a key construct in the field of IB has not been sufficiently articulated or theorized. Language presents itself in forms such as national, corporate, technical or electronic, in functions in terms of defining hierarchies, exercising power or facilitating integration and in features such as the use of mixed syntax or gendermarking. Understanding the complex interplay between the multiple facets of language and how they affect day-to-day operations is becoming increasingly critical to global business effectiveness. The purpose of this special issue is, therefore, to catalyze and set a course for the development of a new domain in IB scholarship originating from an explicit focus on language.

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Section: Recent Developmentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The multifaceted role of language in international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to MNC theory and performance

2014

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“…In organizations that use English as a common language, non-native employees often use their native language for informal talk at meals and other social occasions, excluding those who speak the common language [9,49] while failing to build their own English skills. This avoidance of informal conversation in the lingua franca is problematic because the network ties and information exchange that informal communication facilitates stay bounded within language communities or are channeled through a fluent bilingual speaker [2].…”

Section: Non-native Speakers May Avoid Informal Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since such activity data is more useful with information to help interpret it [32], the tool might also explicitly present information about the value of bilingual networks for building bridging social capital in organizations [2] and provide indicators of this capital. Following the lead of the Search Dashboard, which used comparisons to expert behavior to guide searchers [5], systems might also present the interaction history and social network of successful peers or leaders in the organization as points of comparison to support reflection and suggest behavior.…”

Section: Not Lost In Translation? February 23-27 2013 San Antonio mentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding informal communication in multilingual contexts

Yuan

Setlock

Cosley

et al. 2013

Proceedings of the 2013 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work

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Informal communication in organizations has many benefits, but people who are not native speakers of the organization's common language may find it hard to interact informally. In an interview study of nine native English-speaking and 33 non-native English-speaking students at a large U.S. university, we explore how native language shapes patterns of informal interaction. We found that non-native speakers generally preferred interacting informally with fellow speakers of their own native language as opposed to native English speakers, which hinders communication and collaboration between groups. Three factors led to this "clustering" effect: issues of common ground, feelings of social obligation to other speakers of one's native language, and desires to build social networks within a language group. Four factors led to greater motivation for cross-language interaction: a desire to build bridging capital, physical proximity, oneon-one or small-group interaction, and an established work relationship.The findings suggest ways that communication tools might reduce barriers to informal interaction between speakers of different native languages.

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“…Researchers typically looked at interactions in which a native English-speaking group interacted with non-native speakers (e.g. San Antonio, 1987;Wright, Kumagai, & Bonney, 2001;Harzing & Feely, 2008;Lauring, 2008) or studied the overseas subsidiaries of Nordic companies (Andersen & Rasmussen, 2004;BarnerRasmussen & Björkman, 2005, 2007, Lauring, 2008. Even the few studies that included a larger number of MNCs (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hablas vielleicht un peu la mia language?A comprehensive overview of the role of language differences in headquarters–subsidiary communication

Harzing

Pudelko

2013

The International Journal of Human Resource Management

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The management of human resources in headquarters (HQ)-subsidiary relationships requires intensive communication, but effective communication often depends on having a shared language. Hence, language differences can be a serious threat to the successful management of human resources in multinational corporations (MNCs). In this large-scale quantitative study, encompassing data from more than 800 subsidiaries in thirteen countries, we investigated four related issues. First, in terms of the importance of language differences, we found that HQ-subsidiary relationships are clearly affected by language differences and that the latter form a distance category of their own, which should not be subsumed under the related, but separate concept of cultural differences. Second, regarding the consequences of language differences for communication outcomes, we found that a lack of a shared language is associated with misunderstanding, conflict and parallel information networks which could harm HQ-subsidiary interactions. Third, with regard to the impact of language differences on communication methods, we found that a lack of a shared language is associated with a significantly lower level of oral (face-to-face and phone) communication, but not written communication. Fourth, and finally, in terms of a potential solution to communication problems caused by language differences, we found that expatriates can facilitate both communication and knowledge transfer between HQ and subsidiaries.

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The role of language skills in corporate communication

Cited by 61 publications

References 18 publications

The multifaceted role of language in international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to MNC theory and performance

The multifaceted role of language in international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to MNC theory and performance

Understanding informal communication in multilingual contexts

Hablas vielleicht un peu la mia language?A comprehensive overview of the role of language differences in headquarters–subsidiary communication

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