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• Article | Organization Science | March–April 2013

  Language Matters: Status Loss & Achieved Status Distinctions in Global Organizations

  Tsedal Neeley

  How workers experience and express status loss in organizations has received little scholarly attention. I conducted a qualitative study of a French high-tech company that had instituted English as a lingua franca, or common language, as a context for examining this question. Results indicate that nonnative English-speaking employees experienced status loss regardless of their English fluency level. Yet variability in their self-assessed fluency—an achieved status marker—was associated with differences in language performance anxiety and job insecurity in a non-linear fashion: those who believed they had medium level fluency were the most anxious compared to their low and high fluency co-workers. In almost all cases where they differed, self-assessed rather than objective fluency determined how speakers explained their feelings and actions. Although nonnative speakers shared a common attitude of resentment and distrust toward their native English-speaking co-workers, their behavioral responses—assertion, inhibition, or learning—to encounters with native speakers differed based on their self-perceived fluencies. No status differences materialized among nonnative speakers as a function of diverse linguistic and national backgrounds. I discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for status, achieved characteristics, and language in organizations.

  Keywords: Organizations; Status and Position; Loss; Spoken Communication; Emotions; Attitudes; Behavior;

  Citation:

  Neeley, Tsedal. "Language Matters: Status Loss & Achieved Status Distinctions in Global Organizations." Organization Science 24, no. 2 (March–April 2013): 476–497.

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• Case | HBS Case Collection | 2013 (Revised from original 2011 version)

  Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten (A)

  Tsedal Neeley

  Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten, (Japan's largest online retailer), is at the helm of an organization that is rapidly expanding into global markets. In a critical stride toward becoming the world's No. 1 Internet services company, Mikitani announces Englishnization—a highly publicized aggressive two-year English proficiency mandate for all 7,100 of Rakuten's Japanese employees. Mikitani's goal is not only to ensure the success of the organization, but also to break down linguistic and cultural boundaries in Japanese society. At the time, only an estimated 10% of the Japanese staff could function in English. The stakes are high: those who do not reach their target score by the deadline risk being demoted. As Englishnization progresses, loss of productivity, lack of time to study, and conflicted views among managers impede staff success. Some employees even question the relevance of Englishnization, particularly for staff working exclusively in Japan. Fifteen months since the announcement, the vast majority had not yet reached their target English proficiency scores. With the deadline rapidly approaching, Mikitani must decide how to proceed to ensure the success of Englishnization, the continued global rise of his organization, and even the future of Japan.

  Keywords: Teaching; Human Capital; Change Management; Transformation; Social Enterprise; Communication Strategy; Internet; Disruptive Innovation; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Strategic Planning; Leadership; Global Strategy; Technology Industry; Retail Industry; Japan;

  Citation:

  Neeley, Tsedal. "Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten (A)." Harvard Business School Case 412-002, April 2013. (Revised from original August 2011 version.)

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• Supplement | HBS Case Collection | 2013 (Revised from original 2013 version)

  Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten: Results Are In! (B)

  Tsedal Neeley

  Keywords: Technology Industry; Retail Industry; Japan;

  Citation:

  Neeley, Tsedal. "Language and Globalization: 'Englishnization' at Rakuten: Results Are In! (B)." Harvard Business School Supplement 413-090, April 2013. (Revised from original March 2013 version.)

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