{"id":3596,"date":"2025-03-24T13:40:03","date_gmt":"2025-03-24T12:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/?p=3596"},"modified":"2025-03-24T13:40:03","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T12:40:03","slug":"embracing-the-power-of-many-tongues-how-language-diversity-can-strengthen-your-organization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/expatriatus\/2025\/03\/24\/embracing-the-power-of-many-tongues-how-language-diversity-can-strengthen-your-organization\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing the Power of Many Tongues: How Language Diversity Can Strengthen Your Organization"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Waldemar on Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In today\u2019s global workplace, language is often treated as a problem to be solved \u2014 a barrier to communication, a source of misunderstanding, or a trigger for status imbalances. But what if we flipped the script?<\/p>\n

Recent research I\u2019ve conducted with colleagues suggests a powerful and underappreciated truth: language diversity in organizations can be a source of strength<\/strong>. Whether it\u2019s the implementation of a new corporate language<\/a> or the coexistence of multiple languages within multinational teams<\/a>, these experiences have the potential to expand professionals\u2019 behavioral and communicative repertoires<\/strong>, both inside and outside the firm.<\/p>\n

Take the case of a Chilean subsidiary of a U.S. multinational company<\/a> that radically shifted its working language from Spanish to English. Employees didn\u2019t simply gain fluency over time. They also learned to navigate emotions like frustration and anxiety, developed new ways of interacting, and began to operate more confidently across linguistic and cultural boundaries. In fact, low levels of initial negative emotion actually helped some employees embrace the change<\/strong>\u2014showing that discomfort with language change can be productive when properly supported.<\/p>\n

At the team level, another study<\/a> found that employees who were more fluent in the official corporate language often gained higher peer status and became informal leaders\u2014and more so in teams that mainly conversed in another common language. Why? Because switching between languages made fluency more visible<\/em> and more valuable<\/em>. Yet rather than entrenching inequalities, the shared need to use multiple languages (or to adopt a new one) often created a sense of mutual adaptation<\/strong>. Everyone had to stretch. Everyone had to learn.<\/p>\n

In both studies, a clear insight emerged: mandated or informal multilingual practices can normalize language diversity<\/strong>. They push people out of their comfort zones\u2014and, over time, expand what they are capable of. These shifts foster linguistic agility<\/em>, greater empathy for others\u2019 communication challenges, and a more flexible approach to interacting with clients, colleagues, and partners across borders.<\/p>\n

So rather than seeing language differences as something to manage or eliminate, leaders would do well to ask: how can we embrace them?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Here are a few ideas to start:<\/p>\n