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The Language of Global Success: How a Common Tongue Transforms Multinational Organizations
How one global organization’s lingua franca mandate shaped the lives of its employees around the world
For nearly three decades, English has been the lingua franca of cross-border business, yet studies on global language strategies have been scarce. Providing a rare behind-the-scenes look at the high-tech giant Rakuten in the five years following its English mandate, The Language of Global Success explores how language shapes the ways in which employees in global organizations communicate and negotiate linguistic and cultural differences. Drawing on 650 interviews conducted across Rakuten’s locations around the world, Tsedal Neeley argues that an organization’s lingua franca is the catalyst by which all employees become some kind of “expat”―detached from their native tongue or culture. Demonstrating that language can serve as the conduit for an unfamiliar culture, often in unexpected ways, Neeley uncovers how all organizations might integrate language effectively to tap into the promise of globalization.
For nearly three decades, English has been the lingua franca of cross-border business, yet studies on global language strategies have been scarce. Providing a rare behind-the-scenes look at the high-tech giant Rakuten in the five years following its English mandate, The Language of Global Success explores how language shapes the ways in which employees in global organizations communicate and negotiate linguistic and cultural differences. Drawing on 650 interviews conducted across Rakuten’s locations around the world, Tsedal Neeley argues that an organization’s lingua franca is the catalyst by which all employees become some kind of “expat”―detached from their native tongue or culture. Demonstrating that language can serve as the conduit for an unfamiliar culture, often in unexpected ways, Neeley uncovers how all organizations might integrate language effectively to tap into the promise of globalization.
200 pages, Paperback
Published November 19, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 22, 2018
Insightful study of what happened when Rakuten--the Amazon.com of Japan--decided to make English the offical company language. Good stuff on change managemnet and managing a global company. My review for strategy+business is here: https://www.strategy-business.com/art...
December 28, 2021
Got this as a class suggestion to my Localization certificate and got very surprised how cultures interfere in the market thinking process. For instance, Brazilian market is based in collectivism but American in the individualism. The different way to portray themselves as culture impacts directly in the way consumers act.
September 6, 2017
A fascinating study of what happens when culture and language are decoupled. This book examines globalization with an in depth case study of a single company. The author was given unparalled access to the company, offering us a unique peek into the people affected by a changing world.
December 30, 2018
Quick read that should be essential for leaders of global companies thinking about how they can use a common language as a formal tool for success.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews