Managing Multilingual Communication in Nigerian Corporate Organisations: A Study of Selected Lagos Firms

This study examines how multilingual communication is managed within selected corporate organisations in Lagos, South West Nigeria, where employees routinely navigate English, Nigerian Pidgin, and multiple indigenous languages in professional settings. The management of language diversity in workplaces is a recognised challenge for human resources and corporate communication functions, yet Nigerian corporate environments have received insufficient scholarly attention in this regard. The study adopts a qualitative case study methodology guided by the framework of language management theory. Data were collected from three financial sector firms in Lagos through semi-structured interviews with 30 senior and mid-level managers, supplemented by observation of twelve team meetings and document analysis of internal communication policies. The analysis examines formal language policies, informal language norms, and the communication strategies deployed in cross-ethnic team settings. Findings reveal that most Lagos corporate organisations rely on implicit rather than explicit language policies, tolerating strategic code-switching and Pidgin use in informal workplace interactions while maintaining English as the sole formal medium. The study also identifies significant communication barriers arising from differential English proficiency levels in cross-regional teams. The research recommends the development of formal corporate multilingualism policies that acknowledge and harness Nigeria's linguistic diversity as a professional resource rather than a management liability. Keywords: multilingual communication, corporate organisations, Lagos, language management, workplace language.