HBR On Leadership What Jargon Says About Your Company Culture
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Dec 17, 2025 Anne Curzan, a Professor of English at the University of Michigan, dives into the world of business jargon, defending its role in workplace culture. She explores how jargon reveals insights about organizational dynamics and relationships. Curzan explains the origins of buzzwords like 'think outside the box' and why they can annoy some. She warns against using sports metaphors with international audiences and discusses how English became the global business language, highlighting the implications of its evolving role.
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Onboard Language And Politeness Norms
- Onboard newcomers to both jargon and the workplace's politeness and communication norms.
- Make email, texting, and formality expectations explicit to lower participation barriers.
Sports Metaphors Can Exclude Globally
- Many business idioms use cultural metaphors, like baseball, that are opaque to nonnative or international speakers.
- That opacity can unintentionally exclude colleagues who lack the cultural reference.
Touch Base Travels Poorly
- 'Touch base' is so common in U.S. business that many speakers forget it originates from baseball and just mean 'check in.'
- British colleagues often find the phrase unclear or off-putting in international settings.
