在不斷發展的市場與消費者的全球化下，跨國公司在語言管理方面面臨有別以往而複雜的情況。其中，對於大部分有語言管理需求的跨國企業，公司內部英語公用化已是普遍的現象，本研究旨在討論組織如何妥善管理、確保該策略之有效性，以及如何應對因員工之於通用語言的能力不足導致的語言適應性問題、影子結構的出現以及不良的員工授權之挑戰。
本研究歸納出為達成解決語言障礙的目標，公司需著重協調其組織內部結構，任用合適的領導者以建立開放的培訓及發展空間以利員工及組織發揮潛力。此外，透過與在化工業的人力資源專家進行訪談以及個案分析，進一步歸納出適當的語言管理將支持組織之企業願景，也對管理語言多樣性有正面的影響。

The progressing globalization of markets and customers creates novel and complex situations for multinational organizations, particularly in regards to language management. Determining English as a lingua franca seems to be a common solution for most concerned companies, yet brings novel challenges to be managed appropriately to ensure effectiveness of the measure. Particularly, insufficient employee proficiency in the chosen lingua franca will lead to issues in language accommodation as well as the emergence of shadow structures and undesirable employee empowerment. Therefore, organizations must focus on aligning the corporate structure to meet the goal of resolving language barriers by undertaking a change management process conducted by suitable leaders to create an open training and development sphere, which allows both employees and organizations to grow their potential. The interview with an HR expert in the chemical industry proves that appropriate language management supports the overall mission of an international organization and emphasizes the benefits associated with a sound handling of linguistic diversity.

Verification Letter i
Sworn declaration ii
摘要 iii
Abstract iv

1. Introduction 1
1.1. Background of the research 1
1.2. Statement of the problem 5
1.3. Aim of the thesis 7
1.4. Course of action 8
2. Definitions 9
2.1. Language 9
2.2. Lingua franca 11
3. Language diversity in multinational organizations 12
3.1. The role of language in organizations 12
3.2. Strategic importance 13
3.3. English as a lingua franca 17
3.4. Language strategies 19
4. Challenges of language diversity 21
4.1. Proficiency level 21
4.2. Language accommodation 23
4.3. Shadow structures 25
4.4. Employee empowerment 28
4.5. Translation 29
4.6. Cultural contingence 31
4.7. Communication style 34
4.7.1. Explicit and implicit communication 35
4.7.2. Formality 36
4.7.3. Pacing 38
4.7.4. Tone 40
4.8. Euphemism, metaphor and slang 41
4.9. Knowledge transfer 43
4.10. External requirements 46
5. Recommendations 47
5.1. Managing language challenges 47
5.1.1. Consult dictionaries and other resources 48
5.1.2. Develop new language skills 48
5.1.3. Identify own strengths and weaknesses 49
5.1.4. Enhance public speaking skills 49
5.1.5. Improve writing professional e-mails 49
5.2. Deploying expatriates 50
5.3. Align organizational structure 51
5.4. Change management 53
5.5. Training and development 56
5.6. Select suitable leaders 59
6. Case Study – Chemical industry 62
6.1. Talent evaluation and hiring 64
6.2. Training and development 65
6.3. Communication in global teams 70
7. Conclusion 71
8. Literature 74

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