Why should HR look at corporate language training?

Citation

Hopp, A. (2014), "Why should HR look at corporate language training?", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 13 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-10-2013-0094

Why should HR look at corporate language training?

Article Type: Q&A From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 13, Issue 2

Leading industry experts answer your strategic questions

In a rapidly changing workforce, foreign language skills provide the key to communicating across borders and operating both efficiently and profitably. Multilingual learning opens up intercultural dialogue and better communication amongst staff, which in turn increases efficiency, quality, accuracy and the smooth running of business operations.

We can learn from countries such as India and China that have invested much time, money and energy in developing communication skills training within their labor force and are now reaping the rewards. In some countries, such as the UK, there is an abundance of multicultural and multilingual talent from all over the world, yet many organizations are failing to ensure that skilled multilingual workers are identified, trained and positioned appropriately within the company. Also, there may be a significant pool of potential talent that is being underutilized due to insufficient language skills. In this regard, organizations can implement language learning and development strategies for migrant workers who are otherwise deemed to have the requisite talent and skill to meet certain labor shortages.

Stepping out of the self-contained silo

Unfortunately, the concept of "talent mobility" is lost on many companies. There are still too many organizations with multinational subsidiaries operating at a local level in terms of human resource management. These local "silos" mean businesses are self-contained and limited in terms of growth potential. Organizations therefore need to think outside these silos in order to reach a point where talent is defined, competencies of high performers understood, and the performance management and development processes established to optimize talent management and growth. This means moving towards a unified look at the organization and understanding the competencies and behaviors of high performers across the board. Using the right tools in the cloud of consolidated talent management resources can ensure organizations are attracting, developing and managing their staff to optimize their fit and skills in these roles.

Improving market value by optimizing talent

Boosting business growth is not about finding additional revenue streams. Rather, it is about working with what we already have. Organizations have a long way to go before tapping into the profit potential of a culturally and linguistically diverse population. Optimizing the business potential of multilingualism begins with a culture of inclusion. Real progress will be achieved if businesses, large and small, take stock of existing language skills and use these to their advantage, while ensuring the consistent development of new ways of learning that are both motivating and compatible with the demands of the workforce.

What is interesting to observe is that there has been an increased appetite for language training technology, which is indicative of a global shift towards improved cross-border communication, with 47 percent of organizations e-enabling language training and 88 percent deeming communication skills vital for business success (Speexx, 2013). For many organizations, multilingual skills is an agenda item, which was also reflected in the Towards Maturity 2012 Benchmark Survey (Towards Maturity, 2013). The research showed an increased uptake of e-enabled language learning, with 43 percent of organizations e-enabling foreign language and communication skills training, a staggering 350 percent more than two years previously.

Strong multilingual communication skills open up opportunities that can make the difference between success and failure. Organizations aiming to gain a competitive advantage and leverage talent need to step outside local silo ways of operation and embrace the exciting breadth of global knowledge, learning content and connections currently available. The time is now for organizations to re-evaluate their training, performance management and succession processes in order to ensure talent mobility is truly facilitated to deliver sustainable growth.

Enabling collaboration

The need for collaboration with a common language must become an integral consideration in improving business performance and profitability. So the time for investing in corporate language training is right now. Improved language skills are no longer a “nice to have” soft skill; they can offer serious strategic and competitive advantage. In this regard, investing in the right people and cultivating a culture of empowered communication skills within the workplace is a winning ticket for all.

Armin Hopp
Speexx, Munich, Germany

References

Speexx (2013), "Speexx exchange 2013 survey", available at: http://www.speexx.com/en/news/speexx-whitepaper-2013.htm

Towards Maturity (2013), "The 2012-13 Towards Maturity benchmark survey", available at: http:www.towardsmaturity.org/article/2012/05/14/2012-13-towards-maturity-benchmark/

About the author

Armin Hopp is the founder and President of Speexx, which specializes in helping large organizations to drive productivity by empowering employee communication skills across borders. His academic background is in Linguistics and English literature. He is a regular speaker at international talent management conferences and seminars and has been bestowed with the National German Award for Further Education and the WorldDidac Award 2012. Hopp is also a member of the steering committee to the HR Expo Professional Learning Europe Conference, LEARNTEC, ELIG (European Learning Interest Group) and ambassador for Towards Maturity in the UK. Armin Hopp can be contacted at: http://a.hopp@speexx.com