Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Employees’ willingness to adopt a foreign functional language in multilingual organizations: The role of linguistic identity

  • Article
  • Published:
Journal of International Business Studies Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Language holds a central role in sustainable international expansion for multinationals. The choice of the functional language can facilitate or hinder communication between headquarters and subsidiary locations. In order to communicate effectively with the parent organization, host country employees often have to adopt a language that is not native to the subsidiary region. We take a subsidiary employee perspective in presenting an interdisciplinary theoretical model of host country employees’ willingness to adopt a foreign language in multinational organizations. The construct of linguistic identity, shaped by the linguistic landscape of the host location, is introduced as an important determinant in this process. Specifically, the foreign functional language may pose a threat to the employees’ existing linguistic identity; willingness to adopt the foreign functional language may depend upon the extent of this perceived threat. We incorporate the effects of foreign language proficiency and individuals’ motivation for enhancement in the theoretical model. Both high proficiency in a foreign language and need for social, economic, and career enhancements can increase individuals’ willingness to adopt the foreign functional language. Finally, we develop and present implications of the linguistic identity processes for entry mode, location, and language strategies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Language of work in multinationals have been termed as functional language (Luo & Shenkar, 2006), mandated language (Neeley, 2013), or common corporate language (Marschan et al., 1997). We adopt the term foreign functional language because a language that is not local to the geographic region is likely to be foreign, whether it is the language of the parent firm or a third language that is foreign to both parent and subsidiary (e.g., English).

References

  • Adler, N. J., Campbell, N., & Laurent, A. 1989. In search of appropriate methodology: From outside the people’s Republic of China looking in. Journal of International Business Studies, 20 (1): 6–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. 2002. The psychology of globalization. American Psychologist, 57 (10): 774–783.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ashforth, B. E., & Mael, F. 1989. Social identity theory and the organization. Academy of Management Review, 14 (1): 20–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Backhaus, P. 2006. Multilingualism in Tokyo: A look into the linguistic landscape. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3 (1): 52–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Badea, C., Jetten, J., Iyer, A., & Er-Rafiy, A. 2011. Negotiating dual identities: The impact of group-based rejection on identification and acculturation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 41 (5): 586–595.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barner-Rasmussen, W., & Aarnio, C. 2011. Shifting the faultlines of language: A quantitative functional-level exploration of language use in MNC subsidiaries. Journal of World Business, 46 (3): 288–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benet-Martínez, V., Leu, J., Lee, F., & Morris, M. 2002. Negotiating biculturalism: Cultural frame-switching in biculturals with oppositional vs compatible identities. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 33 (5): 492–516.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benet-Martínez, V., Lee, F., & Leu, J. 2006. Biculturalism and cognitive complexity: Expertise in cultural representations. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 37 (1): 1–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. 1984. Distinction: A social critic of the judgment of taste. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y. 1996. Ethnographic international management research. In B. J. Punnett, & O. Shenkar (Eds), Handbook of international management research 115–143. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y. 2004. When Mickey loses face: Recontextualization, semantic fit, and the semiotics of foreignness. Academy of Management Review, 29 (4): 593–616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y., & Thomas, D. C. 2010. Bicultural individuals in organizations: Implications and opportunity. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 10 (1): 5–16.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brannen, M. Y., Piekkari, R., & Tietze, S. 2014. The multifaceted role of language in international business: Unpacking the forms, functions and features of a critical challenge to MNC theory and performance. Journal of International Business Studies, 45 (5): 495–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caprar, D. V. 2011. Foreign locals: A cautionary tale on the culture of MNC local employees. Journal of International Business Studies, 42 (5): 608–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cecchini, S., & Scott, C. 2003. Can information and communications technology contribute to poverty reduction? Lessons from rural India. Information Technology for Development, 10 (1): 73–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cenoz, J., & Gorter, D. 2006. Linguistic landscape and minority languages. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3 (1): 67–80.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Charles, M., & Marschan-Piekkari, R. 2002. Language training for enhanced horizontal communication: A challenge for MNCs. Business Communication Quarterly, 65 (2): 9–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chattopadhyay, P., Tluchowska, M., & George, E. 2004. Identifying the ingroup: A closer look at the influence of demographic dissimilarity on employee social identity. Academy of Management Review, 29 (2): 180–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, J. L. C., Birkinshaw, J., Lessard, D., & Thomas, D. C. 2012. Call for Papers for a special issue of the Journal of International Business Studies: Advancing interdisciplinary research in international business: Integrative knowledge and transformative theories, http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jibs/cfp_interdisciplinary_research_si.htm, accessed 22 March 2013.

  • Clarke, J. E., Tamaschke, R., & Liesch, P. W. 2013. International experience in international business research: A conceptualization and exploration of key themes. International Journal of Management Reviews, 15 (3): 265–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corley, K. G., & Gioia, D. A. 2011. Building theory about theory building: What constitutes a theoretical contribution? Academy of Management Review, 36 (1): 21–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, P. S., Desai, A. B., & Francis, J. D. 2000. Mode of international entry: An isomorphism perspective. Journal of International Business Studies, 31 (2): 239–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demirbag, M., Tatoglu, E., & Glaister, K. W. 2009. Equity-based entry modes of emerging country multinationals: Lessons from Turkey. Journal of World Business, 44 (4): 445–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dewaele, J. M. 2010. Multilingualism and affordances: Variation in self-perceived communicative competence and communicative anxiety in French L1, L2, L3 and L4. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 48 (2–3): 105–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dow, D., & Karunaratna, A. 2006. Developing a multidimensional instrument to measure psychic distance stimuli. Journal of International Business Studies, 37 (5): 578–602.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ely, R. 1994. The power in demography: Women’s social constructions of gender identity at work. Academy of Management Journal, 38 (3): 589–634.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, C. 1996. Ethnolinguistic vitality, prejudice, and family language transmission. The Bilingual Research Journal, 20 (2): 177–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feely, A. J., & Harzing, A. W. 2003. Language management in multinational companies. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 10 (2): 37–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredriksson, R., Barner-Rasmussen, W., & Piekkari, R. 2006. The multinational corporation as a multilingual organization: The notion of a common corporate language. Corporate Communication: An International Journal, 11 (4): 406–423.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, G., Schmidt, K., & Gudykunst, W. 1994. Strength of ethnic identity and perceptions of ethnolinguistic vitality among Mexican Americans. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 16 (3): 332–341.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giles, H. 1977. Language, ethnicity and intergroup relations. London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gould, R. V. 2002. The origins of status hierarchies: A formal theory and empirical test. American Journal of Sociology, 107 (5): 1143–1178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W. 2001. Of bears, bumble-bees, and spiders: The role of expatriates in controlling foreign subsidiaries. Journal of World Business, 36 (4): 366–379.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W., & Feely, A. J. 2008. The language barrier and its implications for HQ–subsidiary relationships. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, 15 (1): 49–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W., & Pudelko, M. 2013a. Hablas vielleicht un peu la mia language? A comprehensive overview of the role of language differences in headquarters–subsidiary communication. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25 (5): 696–717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W., & Pudelko, M. 2013b. Language competencies, policies and practices in multinational corporations: A comprehensive review and comparison of Anglophone, Asian, Continental European and Nordic MNCs. Journal of World Business, 48 (1): 87–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A. W., Köster, K., & Magner, U. 2011. Babel in business: The language barrier and its solutions in the HQ–subsidiary relationship. Journal of World Business, 46 (3): 279–287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, C. W. L., Hwang, P., & Kim, W. C. 1990. An eclectic theory of the choice of international entry mode. Strategic Management Journal, 11 (2): 117–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hinds, P. J., Neeley, T. B., & Cramton, C. D. 2014. Language as a lightning rod: Power contests, emotion regulation, and subgroup dynamics in global teams. Journal of International Business Studies, 45 (5): 536–561.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, M. A. 2001. A social identity theory of leadership. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 5 (3): 184–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hogg, M., & Terry, D. 2000. Social identity and self-categorization processes in organizational contexts. Academy of Management Review, 25 (1): 121–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huebner, T. 2006. Bangkok’s linguistic landscapes: Environmental print, codemixing and language change. International Journal of Multilingualism, 3 (1): 31–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janssens, M., & Steyaert, C. 2014. Re-considering language within a cosmopolitan understanding: Toward a multilingual franca approach in international business studies. Journal of International Business Studies, 45 (5): 623–639.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Janssens, M., Lambert, J., & Steyaert, C. 2004. Developing language strategies for international companies: The contribution of translation studies. Journal of World Business, 39 (4): 414–430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jessner, U. 1999. Metalinguistic awareness in multilinguals: Cognitive aspects of third language learning. Language Awareness, 8 (3–4): 201–209.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanter, R. M. 1993. Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kassis Henderson, J. 2005. Language diversity in international management teams. International Studies of Organization & Management, 35 (1): 66–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kendron, A. 1995. Gestures as illocutionary and discourse structure markers in southern Italian conversation. Journal of Pragmatics, 23 (3): 247–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kostova, T. 1999. Transnational transfer of strategic organizational practices: A contextual perspective. Academy of Management Review, 24 (2): 308–324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kostova, T., & Roth, K. 2002. Adoption of an organizational practice by subsidiaries of multinational corporations: Institutional and relational effects. Academy of Management Journal, 45 (1): 215–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kostova, T., & Roth, K. 2003. Social capital in multinational corporations and a micro–macro model of its formation. Academy of Management Review, 28 (2): 297–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuznetsov, A., & Kuznetsova, O. 2014. Building professional discourse in emerging markets: Language, context and the challenge of sensemaking. Journal of International Business Studies, 45 (5): 583–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landry, R., & Bourhis, R. Y. 1997. Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical study. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 16 (1): 23–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lόpez-Duarte, C., & Vidal-Suárez, M. M. 2010. External uncertainty and entry mode choice: Cultural distance, political risk and language diversity. International Business Review, 19 (6): 575–588.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Y., & Shenkar, O. 2006. The multinational corporation as a multilingual community: Language and organization in a global context. Journal of International Business Studies, 37 (3): 321–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magloire, J., & Green, K. P. 1999. A cross-language comparison of speaking rate effects on the production of voice onset time in English and Spanish. Phonetica, 56 (3–4): 158–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marschan, R., Welch, L. S., & Welch, D. E. 1997. Language: The forgotten factor in multinational management. European Management Journal, 15 (5): 591–598.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marschan-Piekkari, R., & Welch, C. (Eds) 2004. Handbook of qualitative research methods for international business. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Marschan-Piekkari, R., Welch, D. E., & Welch, L. S. 1999. In the shadow: The impact of language on structure, power and communication in the multinational. International Business Review, 8 (4): 421–440.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neeley, T. 2013. Language matters: Status loss and achieved status distinctions in global organizations. Organization Science, 24 (2): 476–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oswick, C., Fleming, P., & Hanlon, G. 2011. From borrowing to blending: Rethinking the processes of organizational theory-building. Academy of Management Review, 36 (2): 318–337.

    Google Scholar 

  • Otsuiji, E., & Pennycook, A. 2010. Metrolingualism: Fixity, fluidity and language in flux. International Journal of Multilingualism, 7 (3): 240–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peltokorpi, V., & Vaara, E. 2012. Language policies and practices in wholly owned foreign subsidiaries: A recontextualization perspective. Journal of International Business Studies, 43 (9): 808–833.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petriglieri, J. 2011. Under threat: Responses to and the consequence of threat to individuals’ identity. Academy of Management Review, 36 (4): 641–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piekkari, R., Vaara, E., Tienari, J., & Säntti, R. 2005. Integration or disintegration? Human resource implications of a common corporate language decision in a cross border merger. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16 (3): 330–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reiche, B. S., Kraimer, M., & Harzing, A. W. 2011. Why do international assignees stay? An organizational embeddedness perspective. Journal of International Business Studies, 42 (5): 521–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rodríguez, J. 2009. Interpreting the linguistic traits of linguistic landscapes as ethnolinguistic vitality: Methodological approach. Revista Electrónica de Lingüístical Aplicada, 8 (1): 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sapir, E. 1921. Language. New York: Harcourt, Brace, and World.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shohamy, E., & Gorter, D. 2009. Linguistic landscape: Expanding the scenery. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Singleton, D., & Aronin, L. 2007. Multiple language learning in the light of the theory of affordances. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 1 (1): 83–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorokin, P. A. 1927. Social mobility. New York: Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sridhar, S. 1994. A reality check for SLA theories. TESOL Quarterly, 28 (4): 800–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steyaert, C., Ostendorp, A., & Gaibrois, C. 2011. Multilingual organizations as “linguascapes”: Negotiating the position of English through discursive practices. Journal of World Business, 46 (3): 270–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suddaby, R. 2010. Editor’s comments: Construct clarity in theories of management and organization. Academy of Management Review, 35 (3): 346–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutton, R., & Hargadon, A. 1996. Brainstorming groups in context: Effectiveness in a product design firm. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41 (4): 685–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. 1974. Social identity and intergroup behaviour. Social Science Information, 13 (2): 65–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tenzer, H., Pudelko, M., & Harzing, A. W. 2014. The impact of language barriers on trust formation in multinational teams. Journal of International Business Studies, 45 (5): 508–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tietze, S. 2008. International management and language. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tietze, S., Cohen, L., & Musson, G. 2003. Understanding organisations through language. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tse, D. K., Pan, Y., & Au, K. Y. 1997. How MNCs choose entry modes and form alliances: The China experience. Journal of International Business Studies, 28 (4): 779–805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, R. L. 1998. American expatriates abroad: From neophytes to cosmopolitans. Journal of World Business, 33 (2): 125–144.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, R. L. 2005. New era, new realities: Musings on a new research agenda … from an old timer. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 22 (2): 143–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, R. L. 2008. The cross-cultural research imperative: The need to balance cross-national and intra-national diversity. Journal of International Business Studies, 39 (1): 41–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tung, R. L., & Lazarova, M. 2006. Brain drain versus brain gain: An exploratory study of ex-host country nationals in Central and East Europe. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17 (11): 1853–1872.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaara, E., Tienari, J., Piekkari, R., & Säntti, R. 2005. Language and the circuits of power in a merging multinational corporation. Journal of Management Studies, 42 (3): 595–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Knippenberg, D., & Hogg, M. A. 2003. A social identity model of leadership effectiveness in organizations. Research in Organizational Behavior, 25: 243–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Welch, D. E., Welch, L. S., & Piekkari, R. 2005. Speaking in tongues: The importance of language in international management processes. International Studies of Management & Organization, 35 (1): 10–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • West, J., & Graham, J. L. 2004. A linguistic-based measure of cultural distance and its relationship to managerial values. Management International Review, 44 (3): 239–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whorf, B. L. 1940. Science and linguistics. Technology Review, 42 (6): 229–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, H., Luo, Y., & Suh, T. 2004. Transaction cost determinants and ownership-based entry mode choice: A meta-analytic review. Journal of International Business Studies, 35 (6): 524–544.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Guest Editor Rebecca Piekkari, the three anonymous reviewers, Alex Eapen, and Michael Milkovits for their comments on the article.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research School of Management, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

    Sarbari Bordia & Prashant Bordia

Authors
  1. Sarbari Bordia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Prashant Bordia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sarbari Bordia.

Additional information

Accepted by Rebecca Piekkari, Guest Editor, 12 October 2014. This article has been with the authors for four revisions.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bordia, S., Bordia, P. Employees’ willingness to adopt a foreign functional language in multilingual organizations: The role of linguistic identity. J Int Bus Stud 46, 415–428 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2014.65

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/jibs.2014.65

Keywords

Search

Navigation