Just published: Special Issue on Language in IHRM

Research on language in international business has grown substantially during the last two decades. However, research that links language to human resource management (HRM) has remained scarce. This is unfortunate because attracting, developing, motivating, and retaining a multilingual workforce is essential for the long-term success of organizations in today’s global business world. This special issue on language in international HRM contributes to tackling this gap.

In their editorial, Professors Presbitero, Froese, Peltokorpi, Pudelko and Tenzer provide an overview of the current state of research on language in international HRM and preview the papers in this special issue. Building on and extending current knowledge, they propose future research directions in terms of 1) a nuanced understanding of HRM functions, 2) language as part of multinational diversity management, 3) consideration of different actors and different contexts, 4) robust theorizing at multiple levels, and 5) more diverse methods to capture complex realities of a multilingual workforce.

The following articles are part of the Special Issue:

Editorial: Language in international human resource management: current state of research and future research directions
Alfred Presbitero, Fabian Jintae Froese, Vesa Peltokorpi, Markus Pudelko & Helene Tenzer

Approaching or avoiding? Mechanisms of host-country language proficiency in affecting virtual work adaptivity during COVID-19
Ting Liu, Ya Xi Shen, Sijia Zhao & Tomoki Sekiguchi

Antecedents and consequences of host nationals’ attitudes towards hybrid language in MNCs: the case of MNC-tone
Ya Xi Shen, Shuojia Zhang, Sarbari Bordia & Prashant Bordia

A fifth wheel? Local language skills and work-related outcomes among foreign employees
Alexei Koveshnikov, Ingmar Björkman & Perttu Kähäri

Managing legitimacy in a cross-border post-merger integration context: the role of language strategies
Ashish Malik, Paresha Sinha, Pawan Budhwar & Vijay Pereira

Mind your language: an empirical investigation into the role of language in Indian expatriate professionals’ adjustment abroad
Arup Varma, Akanksha Jaiswal, Vijay Pereira, Parth Patel, Daicy Vaz & Y. L. N. Kumar