Defining the Presence of Misrecognition in Multilingual Organizations: A Literature Review

Abstract

Research indicates the multilingual aspects of organizations can create power divisions and rules that drive workplace practices. From an international human resources development perspective, language management is strategic and planned through the headquarters of the organization. Yet the rational ideas of organizational members are what are truly valued in multilingual workplaces. These rational ideas create power struggles and biases that are formed against individuals who possess certain linguistic capabilities, regardless of the individual’s other traits or accomplishments. These biases have been labeled the phenomenon of misrecognition. This literature review explores the presence of misrecognition in multilingual organizations. A need to determine how the phenomenon of misrecognition exists in multilingual organizations was discovered.