Linguistic and cultural diversity at work

Multilingualism and cultural diversity can be a challenge as well as a resource. Language, including all differences and diversity is the most important tool for us to participate in society, exchange information, goods, and services, to enable economic success and negotiate identities. The project "Linguistic and Cultural Diversity at Work" builds on Sociolinguistics and Pragmatics and investigates the role of multilingualism and cultural diversity in the workplace. The background is the current development in Northern Norway, where economic changes encounter a large linguistic and cultural diversity: The region is currently undergoing a strong economic growth. The exploitation of natural resources, ranging from fish to natural gas and ore, plays a central role here. North Norway, though situated in the geographic periphery, is attracting a large number of white- and blue-collar workers from abroad to its urban centres as well as the rural peripheries. Many workplaces are linguistically and culturally diverse. Multilingualism in Northern Norwegian workplaces is not a new phenomenon. There are historical continuities and changes. Some historical developments have an impact on the current situation, and some are mobilised in contemporary economy to highlight, e.g., authenticity and regional belonging. North Norway has been linguistically and culturally diverse for centuries. It is the home of Norwegians, Kven, and Sámi, and there are traditionally strong contacts with the neighbours in Russia, Finland, and Sweden. Workplaces have been arenas of multilingual encounters and the implementation and negotiation of language policies. Some traditions and historical situations are mobilised and exploited in today's economy. At the same time, some experiences from earlier times can provide valuable knowledge in the encounter with contemporary diversities. Using interview survey data, ethnographic observation and archived historical materials, the project provides a general overview of language diversity in Northern Norwegian workplaces as well as detailed insights into the practices and policies of particular work situations. In a telephone survey, 140 representatives of regional companies have been interviewed about diversity, language practices, and language management in their companies. This material gives us a general picture of the different languages and multilingual resources used at work, various strategies for handling diversity, as well as the more implicit attitudes vis-à-vis diversity and, particularly, the role of Sámi and Kven. The project has also included one historical case, a copper mine near Alta (19th century), which was owned and managed by Englishmen and employed (among others) a large number of Kven immigrants. We have investigated the impact of changing national language policies, the diversity management on the site, economic interests and language practices. The case provides interesting insights from the time of industrialisation and nation building and reveals many parallels to modern workplaces. While these studies combine perspectives on contemporary and historical time, a third study sheds light on the use of language in creative collaboration over time among young entrepreneurs, where the participants use both Norwegian and English. Against this background, the project points to challenges and resources on radically different levels, which results in high complexity. Language is not simply a medium of communication in work situations. Especially in the context of linguistic and cultural diversity, language is also used in discourse to explain situations and relations and to account for various responsibilities, authenticity, and belonging. All this intertwines in time. Understanding this complexity of the role of language at work is key to a good and responsible management of linguistically diverse work situations.

The proposed project focuses on the meeting point of the economic development in Northern Norway with the evolving linguistic and cultural diversity of the region. It will investigate the role of multilingualism and cultural diversity in workplace context s. Language is the most important tool for us to function in social life, to exchange information, goods, and services, to guarantee economic success, and to negotiate identities. Economically, the exploitation of natural resources promises profit and wor kplaces. Climate change will facilitate transportation and increase Northern Norway's importance in global communication. The linguistic and cultural diversity is also changing. As a consequence of global migration, people from various cultures have moved to the region. At the same time, the indigenous and national minorities are in a process of cultural and linguistic emancipation and extending their domains of language use. Against this background, the project will investigate how companies and individu al employees with diverse cultural backgrounds use their linguistic resources in the workplace to accomplish their work, to establish relations, and to construe and negotiate cultural identities. Combining two different methodological approaches, the proj ect will (a) carry out a questionnaire survey to map the multilingual and multicultural resources available to employees and companies in Northern Norwegian workplaces. In three ethnographic case studies of different workplaces, the project will (b) inves tigate the use and management of linguistic and cultural diversity by individual users, ranging from communicational needs to cultural identification. A major question to be discussed by the project is whether, and how, multilingualism and cultural divers ity can be used as a valuable resource in workplace contexts, and how companies, employees, and policy makers can handle the challenges of linguistic difference and multicultural development practically.