The Impact Of Language On Values And Behaviors Managing Bilingual Employees In MNEs

When talking about culture,there is one very basic part of culture which has often been neglected,that is:language.Percy Barvenik,a former CEO of ABB,found that communicating across the language barrier is his company's single most severe operational problem(Baraevik＆Taylor,1991).Unfortunately,until today,very little research has investigated the impact of language diversity on management(Feely＆Harzing,2004).Through this research,it can be seen that language should not be neglected since it does play an important role in a person's cultural values which in turn affect their behavior.First,literature review on culture,including Hofstede's individualism vs. collectivism construct and Schwartz's basic human values theory are discussed. Together with the phenomena of cultural accommodation and ethnic affirmation,a model linking language,values,and behaviors is created.Next,an empirical study to test the hypotheses of the model is carried out by distributing English and Chinese questionnaires containing cultural,demographic,and behavioral questions to MBA students of Xiamen University.To analyze the data,first the demographics of the two sample groups were compared to ensure that there are no significant differences in the groups' gender,income,and age compositions.Next,the binary logistics regression analysis is applied to the data,which shows that there are five human values which are altered when English is used instead of Chinese:Universalism,Hedonism, Conformity,Power,and Self-direction.Lastly,correlation analysis between values and behaviors shows that significant relationships do exist between values and behaviors.In order to see the applicability of this study in real corporations,case studies on two multinational enterprises in Xiamen,Dell and Coca-Cola,are conducted. Suggestions on improving the management of their bilingual employees are made.Through this study,the impact of language on values and behaviors are clearly seen.As a result,managers should investigate the changes in values and behaviors of their bilingual employees when a second language is used and adjust their management practice accordingly to optimize their teams' potentials.