How to find and fix the REAL communication problems

How to find and fix the REAL communication problems in your organisation

Calling Out Hidden Gaps Sabotaging Your Organisation Message, Undermining Your Leadership...And How to Fix Them for Good

🚨 When communication fails, everything stalls 🚨

You’ve invested time, money and effort in communicating - meetings, emails, town halls, intranet overhauls - but somehow, the message isn’t getting through.

Leaders share key updates, but employees seem disengaged or oblivious.
Internal teams misinterpret strategic priorities and work at odds with each other.
Critical initiatives stall because no one knows who’s responsible or care.

If this sounds familiar. You’re not alone.

Most leaders assume the problem lies in the communications function itself - maybe the messaging isn’t clear enough, or the team isn’t delivering updates effectively.

The comms team gets the blame...
but the REAL issue is deeper

There is a fundamental misalignment between what’s said, by whom and how it’s received.
Communication problems are rarely just about words; they’re about structure, leadership behaviour and how information flow through the organisation.

This is a fixable problem. You just need to know two things

1. How to pinpoint the problem

2. How to fix it.

Pinpointing the problem:
Why your communications aren’t landing

Most organisations diagnose communication failures at a surface level. This normally means blaming the comms team, tweaking the messaging or introducing a new channel.
But misalignment runs deeper.

We use two proven frameworks to pinpoint the issue and we’re going to show you what they are and how to use them in a communications context.

Framework 1: The McKinsey 7S model
Communication in a systemic context

The McKinsey 7S Model is a well know strategic tool that examines seven interconnected elements that determine organisational effectiveness.

If your communication is failing, it’s likely that at least one of these elements is to blame.

Here’s how problems in each area can derail your communication efforts.

👉 Self-Check
Looking at the above list – where can you already see your gaps?

Are your strategic messages clear, consistent, and tied to business goals?Is your structure enabling or blocking communication? (Silos? Gatekeepers?)
Do your systems help people find and act on key messages?
Are your leaders modelling the values they communicate?
Do your leaders have the skills to communicate beyond just standing up and speaking?
Is leadership style building trust and engagement or just broadcasting?
Are the right people involved in crafting and delivering messages?

If you see gaps in multiple areas, you don’t just have a communications problem - you have an organisational alignment problem.

Framework 2: The Rewired Work Model

While the McKinsey 7S Model provides a big-picture diagnosis (a crucial first step in any communication review), it does not fully address the specific communication dynamics within an organisation. That is where the Rewired Work Model comes in.

Our framework builds on two overlapping elements from McKinsey’s model but takes a deeper dive into communication itself, particularly within the communications function, leadership behaviours, and storytelling capability.

This diagnostic and intervention process helps organisations:

✔ Identify and resolve the root causes of communication breakdowns.
✔ Pinpoint and prioritise training and coaching needs – both within the communications team and across leadership.
✔ Ensure leadership alignment – so messaging, channels, and strategy work together for impact.
✔ Create a structured, repeatable communication model – so effective communication becomes a system, not just an initiative.

How to Use This Model

To fully understand where communication is breaking down, we assess four critical areas. These elements determine whether communication is functioning as a strategic driver of clarity and alignment or simply an output mechanism that reacts to issues.

1. Self - The Role of Leaders in Communication

Questions you could ask include:

Do leaders understand their role in shaping messages?
What level of self-reflection or awareness do they have regarding the impact of their communication?
Beyond broadcast messages, what impact are leaders’ day-to-day interactions having on staff?
How do leaders interact – and get support – from the communications team?

2. Structure - The Communication Function and Operating Model

Questions you could ask include:

Is your communications team positioned as a strategic partner or just an enabler?
Does your organisation have a robust communications operating model?
Are communication channels used strategically and consistently across teams and levels?
Are internal communication efforts proactive and strategic, or are they reactive and tactical?
How well integrated are change communications, strategic communications, and leadership communications?

3 .Skills - Leadership and Organisational Capability

Questions you could ask include:

Is communication seen as a core leadership competency, or is it an afterthought?
Are leaders and managers trained in messaging, storytelling, presence, and delivery, beyond just public speaking?
Do employees understand how to communicate effectively within their roles?
And how does this manifest in the comms team – does your team have the right skills? Or leadership capability?

4. Stories - The Narrative and Organisational Messaging

Questions you could ask include:

Is storytelling a deliberate part of how you communicate strategy and vision?
Are communications engaging, relevant, and free from jargon?
Do your messages align with your organisational identity and culture?

These questions are not designed to catch you out or take you down a rabbit hole, but rather to assess the maturity of communication as a skill, a function, and a mechanism for cascading information effectively through the organisation.

What Comes Next?

Now that you have pinpointed the root cause, it is time to look at how to fix it.

The Solution:
How to fix your communication gaps

It’s probably becoming clear that tweaking the message alone won’t solve the problem. The real fix lies deeper – in the structures, skills, and leadership behaviours that determine how messages are created, shared, and acted upon.

Having already diagnosed the problem using the Self, Skills, Structure, and Story model, the next step is to apply the same lens to identify the right solutions. This ensures that any intervention is targeted, strategic, and built for long-term impact rather than just another short-term fix.

1. The Self Level : Aligning Leaders and Communicators

Why It Matters
If leaders aren’t self-aware, engaged, and accountable for communication, nothing else will work.

What Needs to Change
Before improving messaging or training, leaders must:

Recognize their role - communication is leadership.
Engage in self-inquiry - assess how their style impacts clarity and trust.
Identify and own their skill gaps- before training even begins.
Commit to improvement - ensuring communication is seen as a leadership responsibility, not an outsourced task.

Our Approach

Leadership Self-Inquiry & Alignment – Helping leaders reflect on their communication habits and role in driving clarity.
Skills Gap Identification – Facilitating honest assessment of communication weaknesses and securing commitment to improve.
Leadership Communication Charter – Establishing a baseline standard leaders must uphold, ensuring accountability before moving to skills development.

Only once leaders are aligned and motivated do we move to the next stage—building their skills to communicate effectively.

2. The Skills Level: Setting the Baseline for Communication Competency

Why It Matters
Communication isn’t just a function—it’s a skill that must be developed and embedded at all levels.

What Needs to Change

Leaders and managers need a baseline level of communication capability.
Employees should understand and apply core communication principles.
The organization must invest in skills that prevent misalignment before it happens.

Our Approach

Communication Training & Masterclasses – Giving leaders practical skills in behaviour, communication, influence, and messaging.
Skills Benchmarking – Defining a clear standard for leadership communication and ensuring no one falls below it.
Coaching & Real-World Practice – Embedding communication training into actual leadership situations, not theoretical exercises.

3. The Structure and Process Level: Fixing the Communications Function and Operating Model

Why It Matters
Even great messages fail if the structure, systems, and processes aren’t designed to support effective communication.

What Needs to Change

The communications function should have a clear mandate, not just produce outputs.
Communication channels must be used strategically, not just as content repositories.
Decision-making about communication should be aligned, not bottlenecked.

Our Approach

Functional Review – Assessing whether the current structure supports effective communication.
Operating Model Redesign – Clarifying who owns what in internal and external communication.
Channel Strategy Development – Mapping the right messages to the right platforms to reduce noise.

4. The Story Level: Fixing the Messaging and Employee Engagement Issues

Why It Matters
The best communication structure means nothing if the messages don’t engage, inspire, or make sense.

What Needs to Change

Messages need to connect with people emotionally, not just push out information.
Employees must be able to see themselves in the story of the organization.
Communication must become a two-way process, not just a broadcast.

Our Approach

Strategic Narrative Development – Develop an overall narrative for the vision and strategy of the organisation. This helping leaders and teams create messages that resonate.
Storytelling Training for Leaders – Teaching leaders how to simplify and humanize messages – not just the central corporate ones but their own.
Feedback and Listening Loops – Embedding two-way communication channels to test and refine messages.

How this works in practice

We take organisations through a structured process. You could replicate this in your organisation.

1. Scoping & Setup

Define the scope, terms of reference, and key focus areas.
Detail the scope of work so it is agreed upon, ensuring alignment on priorities

2. Stakeholder & Communications Review

Map the communications ecosystem - leaders, teams, and channels.
Conduct stakeholder interviews, document analysis, and surveys.
Analyse findings against the McKinsey 7S and Rewired Work frameworks.

3. Insights & Recommendations

Synthesise findings into a comprehensive communications diagnostic report with options for senior management to make decisions.
Report should highlights:
- Key weaknesses and opportunities
- Actionable recommendations based on evidence and best practice
- Immediate vs. long-term fixes
- Above all, make sure you suggest who should own actions.

4. Implementation & Support
Organisations can either implement the plan themselves or work with us, or another company, for ongoing support.
We provide:

Training for Leaders.

Training for Communications Teams
In-house Renewal Packages
Ongoing coaching and advisory support.

The Bottom Line - Why this works

Most communication problems don’t exist in isolation. They are symptoms of deeper leadership, structural and messaging misalignments.

This way of conducting reviews gives organisations a clear roadmap to identify and fix the misalignments - so that communication doesn’t just exist but actually drives action and engagement.

Two Ways to Fix Your Communication Gaps

By now, you’ve identified the cracks in your organisation’s communication. You understand why messages aren’t landing, where misalignment is causing friction, and what it’s costing your business in terms of clarity, engagement, and action.

So - what are you going to do about it?

You have two options:

📌 OPTION 1:- Implement this strategy yourself

If you have the internal resources and expertise to assess, realign, and fix your communication, here’s what you need to do next:

Conduct an internal review using the McKinsey 7S Model and Our Model to diagnose gaps.
Map your communications ecosystem - who owns what, where bottlenecks exist, and how messages flow.
Clarify leadership’s role in communication - ensuring alignment at the top before pushing messages down.
Rebuild or reaffirm the structure and systems - ensuring teams, tools, and channels are working for communication, not against it.
Fix the messaging - eliminate jargon, enhance storytelling, and embed two-way communication processes.
Embed continuous improvement - set up mechanisms for feedback, testing, and iteration to ensure communication remains effective.

This process requires time, strategic focus, and a deep commitment from leadership to change the way communication works within the organisation.

If you’re ready to take this on, go for it.

📌 OPTION 2:- Let us do it for you

If you want a faster, expert-led approach that removes the guesswork and delivers real results, let’s talk.

With Rewired Work’s Sound and Signal Communication Review, we take the heavy lifting off your plate.

We’ll:

✔ Diagnose your exact communication challenges - pinpointing where breakdowns occur and why.
✔ Provide a clear, structured plan to fix issues at the self, structure, and story levels.
✔ Work directly with leadership, teams, and stakeholders to implement that plan and effective changes.
✔ Deliver a comprehensive communications strategy designed for long-term impact.

🚀 Want to get started?

Let's Chat!