DOES LANGUAGE MATTER? THE EFFECT OF LINGUISTIC OSTRACISM ON EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES MODERATED BY PSYCHOLOGICAL CAPITAL

Abstract

In today’s workplace environment the trends of demographic and business are frequently conflating the linguistic issues. However, the language has immense behavioral ability in building interpersonal bonds, and, it may also negatively serves by excluding someone else from a social group or society. The factor, linguistic ostracism highly grasp such phenomena. Considering the theoretical conceptualization of ethno-linguistic theory and conservation of resource theory, this research identifies the negative influence of linguistic ostracism on two job attitudes: Job satisfaction and Affective commitment. Data was collected from 44 manufacturing enterprises locatedin 5 urban locations (Lahore, Karachi, Multan, Faisalabad, and Rahim Yar Khan) ofPakistan. This study has consciously taken manufacturingenterprises because in the Pakistani context such firms are morelikely to have the raising issue of linguistic ostracism.Additionally, Hierarchical linear modelling was implicated using M. Plus v8. The outcomes of study reveal that linguistic ostracism produces lower Job satisfaction and Affective Commitment. Furthermore, research assessed the moderating effect of psychological capital and found that individual which are linguistically ostracized interacting withPsychological capitalinvolvemoreJob satisfaction and affective commitment.Theoretical implications of linguistic ostracism are discussed, as well as the ramifications for managers working in linguistically different workplaces.