Language Diversity,Nonnative Accents,and Their Consequences at the Workplace: Recommendations for Individuals,Teams,and Organizations

Abstract

As the workplace is becoming increasingly global, organizations are employing more persons who work in a nonnative language. Moreover, challenges in communication between employees with different linguistic background is inevitable in international mergers and acquisitions, and failure to recognize and address these challenges can create major obstacles to achieving effective integration benefits. Thus, it is imperative for global leaders and managers to understand the effects of language diversity on intraorganizational dynamics. The purpose of this article is to (1) examine the cognitive and affective experiences of both native and nonnative English speakers when they interact with one another and illustrate how language diversity can affect intergroup dynamics in organizations and (2) provide recommendations and interventions to global leaders and managers on how to create a productive and inclusive environment for both native and nonnative language-speaking employees at the individual, team, and organizational level.