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Team members who are fluent in the corporate language may have an unfair advantage over their … [+] less-fluent counterparts.
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By Sebastian Reiche (IESE Business School)
In today’s globalized world, many international companies have adopted a corporate tongue. The term refers to the official language used for workplace communication – everything from emails to meetings to presentations – and which, for the most part, tends to be English.
The existence of a lingua franca at a firm is there for a reason: it often makes operations run smoother. For starters, it ensures that everyone can communicate without the need for translators. But it can also put a strain on some workers, particularly those who aren’t fluent in the company’s official tongue.
In our research published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, my co-author Felipe Guzman and I looked at how foreign language fluency affects workplace dynamics. We conducted a series of studies that looked at self-managed teams – where hierarchy and structure play less of a role – and found that fluent speakers tend to be given more status and informal influence by their peers than their less-fluent counterparts.
Our findings emphasize that language fluency is more than just a communication tool – it can give those workers an unfair leg up and drastically affect team structures. For companies striving to harness the full potential of their global workforce and create a collaborative atmosphere, it’s important to be aware of the unconscious positive bias towards fluent speakers and make an effort to counterbalance that dynamic.
Language fluency as a status symbol
Multinational teams thrive on diversity. The array of different perspectives, skills and experiences often lead to unique ideas and innovative problem-solving that help a company grow. But this diversity can also introduce challenges when workers need to communicate in a designated corporate language that’s different from their native tongues. For example, a company headquartered in the United States might require English to be the working language, even for teams operating in non-English-speaking countries in Asia or Europe.
Our research shows that fluency in the official company language acts as a status cue. Fluent speakers are more likely to speak up during meetings and take on leadership roles, even without formal titles. Their ideas, in turn, are more likely to be heard by decision-makers and implemented into the company’s strategies.
This “higher status” dynamic often emerges because, in group settings, less fluent speakers subconsciously delegate speaking roles to their more fluent counterparts, since a high command of the corporate tongue is perceived to signal competency and intelligence. As a result – and especially if this happens time and time again – it gives those workers an unintentional influence over their team members and a leg up in the workplace.
The more diverse the team, the less fluency matters
The peer-granted status becomes even more pronounced in settings where workers communicate in a non-corporate language during informal interactions. For example, a team of French-speakers based in France might converse in French during breaks but switch to English, the corporate language, for formal meetings and presentations. In these teams, members with strong English skills are especially likely to gain status because their fluency stands out more when code-switching from the informal language to the corporate language.
However, we’ve found a diminished influence in highly international teams that are linguistically diverse. That’s because, when a team is full of people who speak different languages, they’re more likely to communicate in the official corporate tongue for everyday interactions – be it informal office chit-chat or formal presentations. As a result, team members are used to hearing each other speak the lingua franca, so a co-worker’s accent may not stand out as much as when they code-switch from their (fluent) non-official language.
What’s more, if the team is made up of a diverse set of non-native speakers, with few natives, they’re more likely to regard each other with equal status.
Four ways managers can improve language dynamics
By fostering an inclusive environment for non-native speakers with different fluency levels of the corporate language, managers can improve team dynamics and nurture a more people-centered workplace. Our findings offer several valuable takeaways:
- Invest in language training: This can significantly enhance any non-native team members’ ability to communicate and contribute to the workplace. An improved proficiency in the corporate language also boosts individuals’ confidence and helps them push creative ideas into the forefront.
- Foster an inclusive environment: Team leaders should be mindful of the barriers that language differences can create. Ensuring that all voices are heard, regardless of language fluency, can prevent less fluent members from being sidelined or overlooked.
- Be aware of unconscious bias: Language fluency often leads to higher status in teams, but managers should be cautious of letting this override other important factors like expertise, creativity and insight. Acknowledging and celebrating employees’ contributions outside of language fluency ensures that team members grow as much as possible.
- Provide support in code-switching environments: In teams where members speak a common non-corporate language outside of official work interactions, managers can create tools that help team members transition smoothly between informal and formal language use. This might involve offering translation tools or encouraging bilingual environments.
Sebastian Reiche is a professor in the Managing People in Organizations Department of IESE Business School.
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