IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v28y2022i4s1075425322000187.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Linguistic structures and innovation: A behavioral approach

Author

Listed:
  • Berman, Alexander
  • Mudambi, Ram
  • Shoham, Amir

Abstract

We draw on the Sapir-Whorf theory of linguistics and its effect on cognition, to advance the theory of commercial innovation. We do so by analyzing the association between linguistic structures and innovation output. We evaluate three distinct linguistic categories (grammatical gender marking, the use of second-person pronouns, and the use of first-person singular pronouns) and demonstrate that the corresponding linguistic variables are strongly associated with innovation output and performance. Our paper makes several contributions to the literature. We advance management scholarship by demonstrating how the Sapir-Whorf theory of language relativity can provide a deeper understanding of technology development processes and the functioning of national systems of innovation. Specifically, our quantitative results regarding the association between the three metrics of linguistic structure and innovation have important implications for theory, policy, and practice. Finally, we contribute to the ongoing theoretical debates on gender inequality, group creativity, and collaborative innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Berman, Alexander & Mudambi, Ram & Shoham, Amir, 2022. "Linguistic structures and innovation: A behavioral approach," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:28:y:2022:i:4:s1075425322000187
    DOI: 10.1016/j.intman.2022.100943
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425322000187
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.intman.2022.100943?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mary Tripsas & Giovanni Gavetti, 2000. "Capabilities, cognition, and inertia: evidence from digital imaging," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(10‐11), pages 1147-1161, October.
    2. Douglas Dow & Ilya R P Cuypers & Gokhan Ertug, 2016. "The effects of within-country linguistic and religious diversity on foreign acquisitions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(3), pages 319-346, April.
    3. Vesa Peltokorpi & Eero Vaara, 2012. "Language policies and practices in wholly owned foreign subsidiaries: A recontextualization perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(9), pages 808-833, December.
    4. Bengt-Åke Lundvall, 2007. "National Innovation Systems—Analytical Concept and Development Tool," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(1), pages 95-119.
    5. Tenzer, Helene & Pudelko, Markus, 2017. "The influence of language differences on power dynamics in multinational teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 45-61.
    6. La Porta, Rafael, et al, 1997. "Trust in Large Organizations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 333-338, May.
    7. Estefania Santacreu-Vasut & Oded Shenkar & Amir Shoham, 2014. "Linguistic gender marking and its international business ramifications," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(9), pages 1170-1178, December.
    8. Keith Pavitt, 2000. "Why European Union funding of academic research should be increased: a radical proposal," Science and Public Policy, Oxford University Press, vol. 27(6), pages 455-460, December.
    9. Paul Almeida & Anupama Phene, 2004. "Subsidiaries and knowledge creation: the influence of the MNC and host country on innovation," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(8‐9), pages 847-864, August.
    10. Estefania Santacreu-Vasut & Amir Shoham & Victor Gay, 2013. "Do female/male distinctions in language matter? Evidence from gender political quotas," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(5), pages 495-498, March.
    11. Davis, Lewis S. & Abdurazokzoda, Farangis, 2016. "Language, culture and institutions: Evidence from a new linguistic dataset," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 541-561.
    12. Helene Tenzer & Siri Terjesen & Anne-Wil Harzing, 2017. "Language in International Business: A Review and Agenda for Future Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 815-854, December.
    13. Mark Lorenzen & Ram Mudambi & Andreas Schotter, 2020. "International connectedness and local disconnectedness: MNE strategy, city-regions and disruption," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(8), pages 1199-1222, October.
    14. Abramovitz, Moses, 1986. "Catching Up, Forging Ahead, and Falling Behind," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(2), pages 385-406, June.
    15. Ilya R P Cuypers & Gokhan Ertug & Jean-François Hennart, 2015. "The effects of linguistic distance and lingua franca proficiency on the stake taken by acquirers in cross-border acquisitions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(4), pages 429-442, May.
    16. Schomaker, Margaret Spring & Zaheer, Srilata, 2014. "The Role of Language in Knowledge Transfer to Geographically Dispersed Manufacturing Operations," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 55-72.
    17. Alexander Berman & Alba Marino & Ram Mudambi, 2020. "The global connectivity of regional innovation systems in Italy: a core–periphery perspective," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(5), pages 677-691, May.
    18. Callen Anthony & Andrew J. Nelson & Mary Tripsas, 2016. "“Who Are You?…I Really Wanna Know”: Product Meaning and Competitive Positioning in the Nascent Synthesizer Industry," Strategy Science, INFORMS, vol. 1(3), pages 163-183, September.
    19. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    20. Bronwyn H. Hall & Adam B. Jaffe & Manuel Trajtenberg, 2001. "The NBER Patent Citation Data File: Lessons, Insights and Methodological Tools," NBER Working Papers 8498, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    21. John H. Dunning & Sarianna M. Lundan, 2008. "Multinational Enterprises and the Global Economy, Second Edition," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3215, March.
    22. M. Keith Chen, 2013. "The Effect of Language on Economic Behavior: Evidence from Savings Rates, Health Behaviors, and Retirement Assets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(2), pages 690-731, April.
    23. Shoham, Amir & Lee, Sang Mook & Khan, Zaheer & Tarba, Shlomo Y. & Ahammad, Mohammad Faisal, 2020. "The effect of board gender diversity on cross-listing," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    24. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    25. Jasjit Singh & Lee Fleming, 2010. "Lone Inventors as Sources of Breakthroughs: Myth or Reality?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 56(1), pages 41-56, January.
    26. Rosalie L Tung & Alain Verbeke, 2010. "Beyond Hofstede and GLOBE: Improving the quality of cross-cultural research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 41(8), pages 1259-1274, October.
    27. Dana Minbaeva & Stacey Fitzsimmons & Chris Brewster, 2021. "Beyond the double-edged sword of cultural diversity in teams: Progress, critique, and next steps," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 45-55, February.
    28. Guido Tabellini, 2008. "Presidential Address Institutions and Culture," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 6(2-3), pages 255-294, 04-05.
    29. Gareth R. Jones & Charles W. L. Hill, 1988. "Transaction cost analysis of strategy‐structure choice," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(2), pages 159-172, March.
    30. Margit Osterloh & Bruno S. Frey, 2000. "Motivation, Knowledge Transfer, and Organizational Forms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 11(5), pages 538-550, October.
    31. Marcelo Cano-Kollmann & John Cantwell & Thomas J Hannigan & Ram Mudambi & Jaeyong Song, 2016. "Knowledge connectivity: An agenda for innovation research in international business," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(3), pages 255-262, April.
    32. McWilliam, Sarah E. & Kim, Jung Kwan & Mudambi, Ram & Nielsen, Bo Bernhard, 2020. "Global value chain governance: Intersections with international business," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(4).
    33. Bader, Anna Katharina & Froese, Fabian Jintae & Cooke, Fang Lee & Schuster, Tassilo, 2022. "Gender diversity management in foreign subsidiaries: A comparative study in Germany and Japan," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    34. Hicks, Daniel L. & Santacreu-Vasut, Estefania & Shoham, Amir, 2015. "Does mother tongue make for women's work? Linguistics, household labor, and gender identity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 19-44.
    35. Gene M. Grossman & Elhanan Helpman, 1993. "Innovation and Growth in the Global Economy," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262570971, December.
    36. Karen A. Bantel & Susan E. Jackson, 1989. "Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top team make a difference?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(S1), pages 107-124, June.
    37. Hao Liang & Christopher Marquis & Luc Renneboog & Sunny Li Sun, 2018. "Future-Time Framing: The Effect of Language on Corporate Future Orientation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 1093-1111, December.
    38. Sjoerd Beugelsdijk & Ram Mudambi, 2013. "MNEs as border-crossing multi-location enterprises: The role of discontinuities in geographic space," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 44(5), pages 413-426, June.
    39. Mark Pagel & Quentin D. Atkinson & Andrew Meade, 2007. "Frequency of word-use predicts rates of lexical evolution throughout Indo-European history," Nature, Nature, vol. 449(7163), pages 717-720, October.
    40. Alexander Berman & Marcelo Cano-Kollmann & Ram Mudambi, 2022. "Innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems: fintech in the financial services industry," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 45-64, January.
    41. Eero Vaara & Vesa Peltokorpi, 2012. "Language policies and practices in wholly owned foreign subsidiaries : A recontextualization perspective," Post-Print hal-02312975, HAL.
    42. Thomas P. Murtha & Stefanie Ann Lenway, 1994. "Country capabilities and the strategic state: How national political institutions affect multinational Corporations' Strategies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S2), pages 113-129, June.
    43. Cano-Kollmann, Marcelo & Hannigan, T.J. & Mudambi, Ram, 2018. "Global Innovation Networks – Organizations and People," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 87-92.
    44. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    45. Marcelo Cano-Kollmann & Robert D. HamiltonIII & Ram Mudambi, 2017. "Public support for innovation and the openness of firms’ innovation activities," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 26(3), pages 421-442.
    46. Stasser, Garold, 1992. "Information salience and the discovery of hidden profiles by decision-making groups: A "thought experiment"," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 156-181, June.
    47. Bazel-Shoham, Ofra & Lee, Sang Mook & Rivera, Michael J. & Shoham, Amir, 2020. "Impact of the female board members and gaps in linguistic gender marking on cross-border M&A," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    48. World Bank, 2010. "World Development Indicators 2010," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 4373.
    49. Drori, Israel & Manos, Ronny & Santacreu-Vasut, Estefania & Shoham, Amir, 2020. "How does the global microfinance industry determine its targeting strategy across cultures with differing gender values?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Amir Shoham & Jedrzej George Frynas & Ahmad Arslan & Ofra Bazel-Shoham & Sang Mook Lee & Zaheer Khan & Shlomo Tarba, 2024. "The interrelationships between corporate political activity and corporate environmental performance: the role of language diversity," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(9), pages 1204-1217, December.
    2. Elodie Carpentier & Jennifer Brant & Utsav Bahl & Aikaterini Kanellia, 2024. "Closing Innovation and Intellectual Property Diversity Gaps: a Global Literature Review," WIPO Economic Research Working Papers 86, World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division.
    3. Gang, Cuiui & Li, Juanwei & Hu, Haiqing & Wei, Wei, 2023. "Dynamic co-movement between economic growth and language: A new perspective of technological progress," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 705-721.
    4. Stefano Piserà, 2024. "Gendered language and board diversity: Evidence from European banks," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(3), pages 3083-3102, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Summerville, Karoline M. & Chen, Victor Zitian & Shoham, Amir & Taras, Vasyl, 2024. "Speaking of diversity: Can linguistic structural differences explain cultural values toward equity, diversity, and inclusion across the globe?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 59(1).
    2. Belderbos, René & Lee, Geon Ho & Mudambi, Ram & Du, Helen S. & Somers, Dieter, 2024. "When does international knowledge connectivity of global cities attract R&D investments? The role of concentrated ownership through organizational pipelines," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 53(9).
    3. Helene Tenzer & Siri Terjesen & Anne-Wil Harzing, 2017. "Language in International Business: A Review and Agenda for Future Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 57(6), pages 815-854, December.
    4. Tenzer, Helene & Pudelko, Markus, 2017. "The influence of language differences on power dynamics in multinational teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 45-61.
    5. Vesa Peltokorpi & Markus Pudelko, 2021. "When more is not better: A curvilinear relationship between foreign language proficiency and social categorization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 78-104, February.
    6. García-Muiña, Fernando E. & Romero-Martínez, Ana M. & Kabbara, Diala, 2020. "Does religion influence location choice in the hotel industry?," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(2).
    7. Hao Liang & Christopher Marquis & Luc Renneboog & Sunny Li Sun, 2018. "Future-Time Framing: The Effect of Language on Corporate Future Orientation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 29(6), pages 1093-1111, December.
    8. Cano-Kollmann Marcelo & Mudambi Ram & Tavares-Lehmann Ana Teresa, 2022. "The geographical dispersion of inventor networks in peripheral economies," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 66(1), pages 49-63, May.
    9. Mavisakalyan, Astghik & Tarverdi, Yashar & Weber, Clas, 2018. "Talking in the present, caring for the future: Language and environment," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(4), pages 1370-1387.
    10. Astghik Mavisakalyan & Clas Weber, 2018. "Linguistic Structures And Economic Outcomes," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 916-939, July.
    11. Benoit, Florence & Belderbos, René, 2024. "International connection, local disconnection: The (heterogeneous) role of global cities in local and global innovation networks," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    12. Davis, Lewis S. & Abdurazokzoda, Farangis, 2016. "Language, culture and institutions: Evidence from a new linguistic dataset," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 541-561.
    13. Golesorkhi, Sougand & Mersland, Roy & Piekkari, Rebecca & Pishchulov, Grigory & Randøy, Trond, 2019. "The effect of language use on the financial performance of microfinance banks: Evidence from cross-border activities in 74 countries," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 213-229.
    14. Bazel-Shoham, Ofra & Lee, Sang Mook & Rivera, Michael J. & Shoham, Amir, 2020. "Impact of the female board members and gaps in linguistic gender marking on cross-border M&A," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(2).
    15. Jiménez, Alfredo & Bayraktar, Secil, 2021. "Hello! Namaste? Within-country linguistic diversity and infrastructure projects in emerging markets," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 86-97.
    16. Drori, Israel & Manos, Ronny & Santacreu-Vasut, Estefania & Shoham, Amir, 2020. "How does the global microfinance industry determine its targeting strategy across cultures with differing gender values?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    17. Mavisakalyan, Astghik & Tarverdi, Yashar & Weber, Clas, 2020. "Paradise Postponed: Future Tense and Religiosity," GLO Discussion Paper Series 500, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    18. Christine M. Chan & Lei Shi & Jingtao Yi, 2024. "Home country’s economic and political institutions: firms’ ownership decisions in cross-border acquisitions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 55(8), pages 1020-1037, October.
    19. Peltokorpi, Vesa, 2015. "Corporate Language Proficiency and Reverse Knowledge Transfer in Multinational Corporations: Interactive Effects of Communication Media Richness and Commitment to Headquarters," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 49-62.
    20. Tatiana Kostova & Sjoerd Beugelsdijk, 2021. "Integrating Diversity into Distance Research for Added Rigor, Parsimony, and Relevance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(6), pages 1669-1689, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:28:y:2022:i:4:s1075425322000187. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.