Discover why communication breakdowns are at the heart of most business challenges. Learn practical strategies to improve workplace alignment, collaboration, and organisational efficiency.
You’ve probably heard me say this before if you’ve listened to the podcast or read the newsletter. It’s not scientifically true, but anecdotally, almost every problem I’ve seen in business comes down to some form of communication breakdown or ineffective use of communication.
It’s no surprise. Communicating effectively as an individual is hard enough, let alone within the complexity of a growing organisation.
At work, we often have access to an org chart. It shows who reports to whom, who is in which department, and who your peers are. They’re useful for seeing where people “sit” in the organisation.
But org charts rarely show how work actually gets done. Most of us need to integrate, cooperate, collaborate, and intermingle to deliver value to our customers. It’s in this web of interactions that confusion sets in, misalignment occurs, and communication breaks down.
The larger the organisation, the more lines of communication there are. In a 40-person startup, it’s easy: everyone sits together, everyone collaborates, and work flows naturally.
As companies scale, more structure, processes, hand-offs, and divisions emerge. Communication becomes harder. Clarity is harder to achieve. Alignment is more challenging. Miscommunication and confusion are inevitable unless actively managed.
Here are the main areas where I see communication break down in organisations, along with practical insights:
Matrix structures can spread management responsibility, and reduce the span of direct control, but often create confusion. Employees end up with two bosses: a line manager for career and a work manager for daily delivery.
If these managers don’t communicate, employees receive conflicting priorities and guidance. The solution can be simple: align managers regularly, clarify priorities, agree on outcomes, and make decisions collaboratively to support the employee and the business.
IT systems can either streamline communication or create chaos. I’ve seen companies with 65 internal systems, many of which duplicated functions or didn’t integrate. Employees didn’t know where to go for information, and managers struggled to align work.
The solution: rationalise systems, integrate where necessary, and ensure people know exactly where to find information. Remember, systems should support communication, not replace it.
👉 For a fun look at this kind of dysfunction my free eBook, Diary of a Manager, might give you a giggle.
Agile transformations, process changes, or strategic initiatives fail when employees don’t understand why changes are happening, what’s expected of them, and how they fit in.
Strategy must be communicated clearly at every level. People need context, clarity, and a line of sight to outcomes. Without it, resistance and confusion flourish.
👉 See this article on creating and communicating a strategy.
I’ve seen teams build the wrong solution entirely because the provider and client didn’t communicate effectively. Assumptions were made, goals weren’t aligned, and feedback loops were absent.
Fix it by agreeing scope, outcomes, timelines, roles, and feedback mechanisms from the start. Build trust and ensure ongoing alignment.
When people don’t know what their peers do, duplication, friction, and silos occur. Visibility of work is essential. Encourage cross-team knowledge sharing, collaboration, and mutual appreciation.
If employees don’t know where work comes from or where it goes, hand-offs break down. People rely on documents instead of conversation, creating inefficiency and frustration.
Map work flow, identify key touch-points, and foster relationships between providers and consumers of work. This builds clarity, trust, and smoother operations.
👉 Effective employees always get company smart, right from the start. This means they work out how work moves - and where it comes from, and where it goes to. Check out the free eBook on the 10 behaviours of effective employees.
A single email or announcement is rarely sufficient. Communication should be repeated across multiple channels, tailored to audiences, and confirmed for understanding. People consume information differently — be effective, not efficient when it comes to communicating.
Defensiveness often comes from unclear roles or underutilised skills. Employees protect work rather than collaborating. Clear roles, purpose, and recognition help people feel included, valued, and more receptive to communication.
When facts, data, and context are missing, people make assumptions. These assumptions differ across teams, creating misalignment. Share evidence, clarify expectations, and encourage questions to reduce guesswork.
Leaders often assume messages trickle down automatically. They don’t. Ensure key communications are tailored, repeated, and confirmed throughout the organisation. Managers, unless told otherwise, should always be trickling down insights, information and clarifying messages.
Avoid jargon and overly complex language. Use visuals, metaphors, and stories to complement your words. This improves understanding and retention.
Never use jargon words like 'reconceptualize', 'demassification', 'attitudinally', 'judgmentally'. They are hallmarks of a pretentious ass. - David Ogilvy
Transform how you communicate—live workshops for teams, self-paced online for individuals.
Identify where confusion exists. Trace it to its source. Listen to frustrated employees, find gaps, and fix them. Many communication issues originate with leadership or systemic design.
Use a single system to visualise work. Kanban boards, Trello, or similar tools help teams see how their work fits into the bigger picture. Visibility reduces duplication, confusion, and miscommunication.
Yes, developing personal communication skills matters. But many challenges are systemic. To fix them, study the organisation, identify breakdowns, and implement solutions that work for both people and processes.
Effective communication isn’t about sending more emails — it’s about clarity, alignment, and enabling action. When you get it right, your teams are aligned, your employees feel valued, and your organisation delivers better outcomes for customers.
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