Every relationship is shaped by culture, and that culture provides the foundation for either stability or instability. Likewise, organizations thrive, or crumble, based on the strength of their culture.
Communication is the Cornerstone…
Just as a solid foundation supports a stable structure, effective communication is a key investment that strengthens an organization’s culture, ensuring it remains stable, resilient, and capable of supporting the growth necessary to meet the needs of its constituents. Yet, we often get it wrong. We insist that communication is happening—emails are being sent, meetings conducted, decisions made, and voices heard. Why then does the data, both implicit and explicit, suggest that our foundation is less than stable?
My thought: Words. Words on paper, words bouncing around a room full of well-meaning individuals. Lots of words—while the elephants in the room sit unnoticed, unacknowledged, and avoided (Svalgaard, 2023). The result? A lack of true communication: the meaningful exchange of ideas that invites and values multiple perspectives, ensuring mutual understanding.
Cracks in the Foundation: When Communication Weakens the Structure
A team in an organization was tasked with implementing a new initiative. Leadership believed they had clearly communicated the expectations through emails and a few brief meetings. However, as the deadline approached, it became apparent that many team members had misunderstood their roles and responsibilities. Some assumed others were handling tasks that had been left unattended, while others felt uncertain or afraid to ask clarifying questions.
Within this team, Emma and Mark, two of the project leaders, faced a communication disconnect. Emma preferred quick, to-the-point emails to convey updates and information, while Mark valued detailed, in-person discussions to work through the complexities of the project. Emma’s brief, direct emails left Mark feeling uninformed and sidelined, while Emma interpreted his questioning in some cases—and lack of response in others—as disengagement and intentional sabotage.
The result was a stalled project and growing personal tension that eroded both their professional relationship and mutual trust. What went wrong? On the surface, communication had occurred—emails were sent, meetings were held—but the real problem was the lack of dialogue. There was no space for team members to voice concerns, ask questions, or clarify their understanding. In fact, the result was confusion, missed deadlines, and frustration across the team. This is a perfect example of how words alone are not enough; true communication requires a connection—after all, our brains are wired to crave connection (Wheatley, as cited in Duhigg, 2024, p. 9)—active engagement, feedback, and an inclusive approach where multiple perspectives are valued.
Strengthening the Foundation: Building a Strong Organization through Effective Communication
If communi
cation is the foundation of a strong organization, then ensuring that it is both clear and meaningful is critical. However, it’s not just about the exchange of information—it's about fostering genuine connections, addressing the unspoken, and adapting to different communication styles within the team. To begin reinforcing this foundation, we can look to key principles from Charles Duhigg’s Supercommunicators and Lotte Svalgaard’s The Elephant in the Room. Below, I offer a few strategies that provide a starter blueprint for creating a more cohesive, resilient organization through effective communication.
- Acknowledge and Address the Unspoken
- Encourage open dialogue about difficult or uncomfortable topics that often go unspoken to prevent underlying issues from festering. This will create an environment where "elephants in the room" are acknowledged and addressed head-on.
- Foster Connection
- Communication is more than just exchanging information—it's about creating meaningful connections. Encourage authentic conversations that strengthen relationships, not just the transfer of knowledge and information. This “between the busy-ness” work will pay dividends when it’s time to “get to business.”
- Balance Transparency and Clarity
- Ensure that communication is clear, concise, and transparent, recognizing that transparency without clarity can lead to confusion and clarity without transparency leads to mistrust.
- Build trust and alignment by providing the full context. Share the reasoning behind decisions instead of just the decision or outcome. However, be careful not to overwhelm folks with unnecessary details. Deliver only key information in a manner that is clear and actionable. Put simply: adjust to your audience’s needs.
- Create space for two-way transparency. This will foster a culture where all involved feel empowered to ask questions, provide feedback, and engage in discussions.
- Promote Inclusive Dialogue
- Create spaces where diverse perspectives are not only welcomed but encouraged, ensuring that everyone feels valued and heard in decision-making processes. –Saying it now and again will never be enough. Welcome and encourage are action verbs.
- Employ Active Listening and Empathy
- Listen actively to what others are saying—not just the words, but the body language, emotions, and intentions behind them. Remember empathy is key in bridging communication gaps and fostering trust—see #2.
- Encourage Feedback Loops
- Establish feedback loops and utilize the tool of looping where team members can ask questions, clarify misunderstandings, and offer constructive feedback in real time. This prevents misalignment from escalating.
- Adapt Communication to Different Styles and for Different Purposes
- Different needs require different types of communication and thus different kinds of interactions. Make it a point to notice what kind of conversation is going on. Is it Practical? Emotional? Social?
- Recognize and adapt to varying communication preferences within your team, whether it’s through quick emails or detailed in-person meetings. Tailoring your approach strengthens clarity and collaboration.
- Create Safe and Brave Spaces
- Build environments where people feel emotionally safe to share their thoughts (safe spaces), and at the same time, welcome respectful disagreement and challenging conversations (brave spaces).
Lay the Groundwork
The foundation of any strong organization is built through effective communication. In fact, it is the cornerstone of a strong organizational culture. It’s not just about words; it’s about creating connections, fostering transparency, addressing unspoken issues, and inviting multiple perspectives. Now is the time to lay the groundwork for growth. By investing in meaningful communication, we build a solid foundation that supports growth, trust, and collaboration. The strength of our culture depends on how well we communicate.
Take the next step in strengthening your team's foundation. I encourage you to reflect on your current communication practices: Are you fostering true dialogue or simply exchanging information? Would your interactions as a leader—yes all are leaders—be considered transactional or transformational. Commit to exploring these ideas further and see how they apply to you and the teams of which you are a part.
Ready to learn more?
Watch for upcoming professional learning sessions, where we will dive deeper into practical strategies for strengthening communication and building interpersonal, departmental and an organizational culture that thrives.
As an Ombuds, fostering effective communication is at the heart of my work. By addressing unspoken issues and promoting open dialogue, I help create environments where trust and collaboration can thrive. This topic is not just relevant to my role, but essential to building a healthy and resilient organizational culture.
Maleika Joubert Brown, Ed.S.
Ombudsperson, Grand Rapids Public Schools
www.grps.org/ombuds
REFERENCES
Svalgaard, L. (2023). The Elephant in the Room: Engaging with the Unsaid in Groups and Organizations. Productivity Press.
Duhigg, C. (2024). Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection. Random House.