I'm a manager. How do I introduce a bilingual atmosphere into the company-organisation? 

Managing in a bilingual environment means managing in a changing environment. In response to the increased use of Welsh in the public sphere there is growing demand for organisations / companies to introduce changes to their own external and internal environment and practices. Managers carry the responsibility for leading the organisation through this process of change.

Changing the culture of an organisation to include new ideas and practices is not an easy process. It is perhaps even more difficult to change the language culture of an organisation which has been used to operating in a particular way for years.

Change in any organisation can be painful and uncomfortable. Conservatism is very powerful. Change means asking questions and challenging assumptions, seeking and implementing new answers. Some see change as a threat and are anxious about it whilst others consider it unnecessary.

It is the manager's task to persuade the organisation that change is unavoidable because it is vital to success. The organisation must be made to acknowledge the need for change and to accept that changes are inevitable.

The process of introducing change includes the following stages:

1.Avoidance 2.Acknowledgement 3.Acceptancen 4.Incorporation 5.Practice

Along this continuum you must remember that you can be at one stage whilst others in your organisation are at another. For example, you may have accepted the need to develop bilingualism while your head office, in another country, is unaware of the circumstances. On the other hand, you may feel you are snowed under with policies and practices without being convinced of the need for change.

Differences can cause tension which needs to be managed. This will involve considerable implications for you as a manager, your colleagues, volunteers and the organisation itself. Your responsibility, as manager, is to resolve the implications.