Abstract
This text is a collection of research articles authored by 25 academics, primarily working in Europe. The research is situated in the realm of International Business and looks at the field of language sensitive studies. The scholars themselves come from a variety of areas, including organization studies, sociolinguistics, and organizational communication. The research is largely qualitative in nature and draws on various methods, such as interviewing, ethnography, analysis of company texts, and crowdsourcing platforms. Participants in the study come from a variety of professions, including restaurants, health care, and government. Many of the contributions are interpretive and critical in nature, emphasizing the contested nature of language use in organizations, which the authors “regard as arenas of resistance, political struggles, and power games” (p. xiv). With this rather wide-ranging content and background of researchers, the editors hope to help develop a greater cross-pollination between language-sensitive and mainstream organization studies scholars by exploring ways to bridge the divide and develop common areas of inquiry.
The book is divided into four sections. The first, “Multilingualism in a Rapidly Changing World: New Perspectives on Language Differences in Organizations,” contains four articles, beginning with an introduction by coeditor Claudine Gaibois. Other articles explore recognition theory as a new lens for looking at language differences in multilingual organizations, the clashing institutional logics involved in the inclusion of refugees in the workplace, and multilingualism in public health care. This section is intended to invite readers to consider how language diversity might intersect with other dimensions of diversity, such as geopolitical or societal “macro-events.” The editors hope that it conveys the notion that a better understanding of the processes underpinning language-based power can help speakers of less recognized languages create spaces of agency within the workplace.
Part 2, “Language Practices in Multilingual Workplaces and Implications for Human Resource Management,” also includes four articles, once again beginning with an introduction to the subject written by coeditor Mary Vigier. The section looks at the use of ethnography in language-sensitive research, a manager’s engagement with written “English” workplace genres, and employee motives and adaptive strategies used by HR. Overall, this section is intended to illustrate how specific managerial policies could and should be implemented in a multilingual environment to make language diversity a resource rather than an impediment.
Four articles also comprise Part 3, “Organizations as Discursive, Polyphonic Spaces: A Multidisciplinary Approach,” which likewise begins with an introduction written by coeditor Betty Beeler. Again, an article on research approaches is included, one that discusses the importance of a focus on language in organization studies, Other articles look at identity construction in a multilingual workplace and the utility of a polyphonic perspective. These articles are intended to underscore the value of collaboration between language-oriented organization studies scholars and their colleagues who tend to dismiss the relevance of language practices to their own work on language. That is, the editors believe that although mainstream organization studies scholars look at such important topics as discursivity, narrativity, polyphony, and organizational communication, they often overlook issues such as power, social identity, diversity, and dialogical relations through a linguistic lens (p. 3).
The final section is entitled “Different Critical Perspectives on the Power of Language in International Business.” It too begins with an introduction by coeditor Philippe Lecomte. The articles in this section look at how power relationships are negotiated in language from three different perspectives.
The text ends with a conclusion written by the four coeditors. Overall, the book is intended to provide a picture of the current state of research on language practices in organizations and point the way forward for scholars. The book has three broad goals: (1) to acknowledge the strides researchers have made thus far in the area of multilingualism in the workplace; (2) to explore the broader implications of geopolitical, technological, and societal developments, recognizing that issues that affect the multilingual workplace are not restricted to “the four walls or the organization” (p. 1); and (3) to reach both scholars and nonspecialists interested in the field in order to encourage new ways of thinking about language use in the multilingual workplace.
As such, this book is valuable to instructors of business communication who address cross-cultural and multicultural communication issues in their courses as it informs them of the current state of research in the area as defined by the editors of the book. The text underscores the importance of looking at language as a dynamic social practice rather than the more traditional, functionalist view of language as a set of formal structures. As an instructional text, it would be valuable to doctoral students in the field of business communication who are looking for an introduction to current research in the area of cross-cultural, multicultural, and international business communication.