The MNT leader's balancing act becomes particularly challenging if side conversations are triggered by emotional content, on the one hand reinforcing the code-switchers' impulse to discuss these sensitive issues in their native tongue, while simultaneously in- creasing tension among excluded colleagues. In these cases, MNT leaders should ask for summaries of side conversations, which may help code-switchers to distance themselves from their initial emotional outbreaks:
I have learned that strategically allowing this [code-switching] in short segments actually builds trust — as long as the mother tongue group discussion is then translated in summary form, including the emotional elements that were seen but not under- stood by the complete group. I have also found that repeating the emotional portion in summary form often creates humor and diffuses the tenseness of the original situation.
Besides acting as a moderator for code-switching, our data suggest that the MNT leader can also reduce the impact of language barriers on subordinates by actively allocating speaking time to less fluent team members:
The team leader helped me to integrate myself into the team. He gives me the time to talk about my issues. Because the meet- ings are held in English and English speakers are so fast, I cannot interrupt them. That is very difficult! The team leader has no- ticed my situation, so he gives me time.
Enabling low-fluency team members to gain voice in a foreign-language conversation emerged as an effective remedy against the anxiety they experience. To complement this measure, MNT leaders also need to remind English native speakers to speak “interna- tional English” with a reduced lexical variety, avoiding slang, jargon and any particular accent they might have, and to decrease their speaking speed:
I have to slow down our American native speakers if I notice that the speed must be too high for the others. I have to make sure that they articulate themselves clearly.
Frequent repetitions and paraphrasing of important arguments by the MNT leader emerged as another important measure to en- hance the clarity of communication, thereby reducing the negative impact of language barriers:
It is really helpful to build feedback cycles into team meetings – maybe after each agenda item – and to paraphrase and check if everyone is on the same page or if there are still some misunderstandings.
The same interviewee, however, conceded that using this technique resembles a balancing act. If the MNT leader repeats too fre- quently and too obviously, some subordinates may feel patronized:
How quickly does someone feel loss of face, how tolerant is he for mistakes? So if I explain things twice, will this be seen as support or as an insult? Along the lines of “He explains this to me so often, he must think I'm an idiot.” (...) I think this is the crux of the matter: I need to repeat until everything is clear, but mustn't overdo it.
616 H. Tenzer, M. Pudelko / The Leadership Quarterly 26 (2015) 606–625
This finding coincides with Williams' (2007: 599) proposition that even well intended offers to