Corporate language-based communication avoidance in MNCs: A multi-sited ethnography approach

Multinational corporations (MNCs) are highly dependent on a corporate language to control and coordinate their distributed operations. However, research on the impact of language differences on intra- and inter-unit communication is still underdeveloped. In this study, we focus on corporate language-based communication avoidance (CLBCA) which has received little systematic attention in international business (IB) literature despite the negative impact it may have on MNC effectiveness. Applying a research methodology labeled multi-sited ethnography, we traced CLBCA across three Danish owned MNCs and identified five contextual factors that affect avoidance behavior in second language encounters: formality level, media leanness, group size, power difference, and relation strength. Thereby, this study provides novel insights into context dependent language barriers in MNCs. A central argument in this article is that communication avoidance in MNCs should not be perceived only as an individual level variable as has been the practice in most studies so far.