The role of language choice in leadership credibility and workplace trust: A case study of higher learning institutions in Tanzania

Leadership communication is one of the essential features of leadership that influence leadership credibility and employee trust in the workplace especially in multilingual workplaces. Despite leadership communication being discussed widely in the literature of organizational leadership, language of leadership, its impact on leadership credibility and trust has not been explored fully in the literature in African higher learning institutions. This study explores the impact of language of leadership on employees’ perception of leadership credibility and workplace trust in multilingual higher learning institutions in Tanzania. The study focuses on linguistic accommodation and how it enhances leaders-employees engagement. This study was done in one selected public higher learning institutions in Tanzania. The study adopts qualitative multiple case study design based on Communication Accommodation Theory and Organizational Trust Theory. The study collected data through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. A total of 90 participants were selected from College of Business Education (CBE), Tanzania Institute of Accountancy (TIA) and Dar es Salaam Institute of Technology (DIT). The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that (i) the exclusive use of highly formal English in leadership communication reinforces institutional hierarchy and creates relational distance between leaders and employees; (ii) linguistically accommodative practices such as the use of Kiswahili, code-switching, and simplified explanations enhance leadership credibility and relational accessibility; and finally (iii) language clarity and transparency significantly strengthen workplace trust by reducing uncertainty and improving employees’ understanding of leadership decisions. Therefore, this study contributes to the organizational communication on leadership credibility and workplace trust that are communicatively achieved through the use of language in organizations especially in the context of multilingual settings.