NEWS AND INSIGHT
LANGUAGE EDI’S FORGOTTEN FRONTIER COUNTRY: UK SCHOOL: Durham University Business School, Durham University
Global companies have global employees and while it is widely recognised that diversity and di erence are to be celebrated, multinational companies still need to ensure that they have the right systems in place to prevent discrimination. A new study entitled Implementing the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda in multinational companies aims to educate organisations on how to put in place an equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) agenda with a two-step framework focused on linguistics. It is authored by Martyna Śliwa and Sylwia Ciuk of Oxford Brookes University, together with Anne-Wil Harzing of Middlesex University. The researchers assert that EDI policy and debates too often focus on a small range of diversity dimensions and fail to mention language – despite language-based stereotyping and discrimination having a significant impact on work and career outcomes. The first step in their proposed framework is to change the way multinational companies think about diversity and di erences. They recommend that organisations start seeing di erences in a positive light as opposed to challenges that must be overcome. In particular, multiple languages should be viewed as a resource. The second step is about changing actions. The researchers believe that those who communicate at work in a foreign language must be encouraged to adjust to the dominant group’s way of communicating. “Displaying positive attitudes towards language di erences and an openness to non-standard language norms, as well as adjusting the communicative behaviour of all members of the organisation, are all small but vital steps to enhance inclusion,” Ciuk explained. The research suggests that the only way linguistical inclusion can prolificate e ectively is when there is buy-in from all sta . They therefore recommend that language is included in all HR and organisational EDI e orts. EB
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Ambition APRIL 2023 | 13
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