Foreign language acquisition, bilingualism, and biculturalism: A new theoretical avenue for organizational research

Biculturals (i.e., individuals who have experienced and internalized more than one culture) are recognized as a growing demographic, and as such will become important stakeholders in organizations. An emerging stream of research from psychology and organizational studies indicates that bicultural individuals have a particular set of cognitive skills and competencies that can contribute to the performance of international teams. However, research on biculturals in organizations is facing conceptual and methodological limits due to the complex nature of the construct of culture. While the constructs of culture and language are distinct, they are undoubtedly interwoven; hence, the latter may become a tool to analyze the phenomenon of biculturalism. In this chapter, the authors analyze the literature on social identity, foreign language acquisition, and bilingualism to find potential solutions for these critical challenges.