15 - Why Culture Eats Emails for Breakfast

The link between communication and organisational culture

You can send all the emails in the world. Post signs. Create policies. Hold team meetings. But if your culture isn’t aligned with your messages, none of it will stick.

In a New Zealand SME, where teams are small and informal, culture isn’t something you write down and forget. It’s alive in every interaction, decision and hallway conversation. It either reinforces your communication, or quietly undermines it.

That’s why this saying holds true - culture eats emails for breakfast.

This article explores the tight link between culture and communication. If you’ve ever wondered why messages don’t land, why behaviours don’t change, or why your team “just doesn’t get it,” culture may be the real conversation you need to have.

What Is Culture, Really?

Culture is what people do when no one’s watching.

It’s the shared understanding of how things are done around here. It’s not your values on the wall. It’s what people see, feel and absorb over time.

In an SME, culture shows up in -

• How people speak to each other when under pressure

• Whether feedback is welcomed or feared

• Who gets listened to and who doesn’t

• How mistakes are handled

• What’s rewarded, ignored or quietly discouraged

• The tone of emails, meetings and client conversations

If your daily communication contradicts your cultural message, people won’t trust either.

When Culture Undermines Communication

Here are a few examples you might recognise -

• The manager says, “We value feedback” - but shuts down dissent in meetings

• The onboarding pack says, “We’re flexible and family-friendly” - but people get side-eyed for leaving early

• The CEO says, “We’re collaborative” - but decisions are made in secret

• The team leader says, “Come to me with any issue” - but is always too busy to listen

• The poster says, “Health and safety is everyone’s responsibility” - but shortcuts are quietly encouraged to save time

In each case, the spoken message is clear, but the cultural signal is louder and people believe the louder signal.

The Culture–Communication Feedback Loop

Culture shapes communication. And communication, over time, shapes culture. Let’s break that down.

Culture shapes communication
If your culture is fearful, people speak in guarded ways. If your culture is open, people speak more honestly. If your culture is rushed, people skim-read and half-listen.

Communication shapes culture
If leaders speak clearly, respectfully and regularly, that becomes normal. If communication is chaotic or one-sided, that becomes normal too.

So every message, meeting, decision and reaction either builds or erodes your culture.

You don’t need to control every word. You just need to be consistent with what your culture says you value.

A Real Example - The Hidden Message

In a Northland food production company, the directors wanted to encourage innovation. They ran a “speak up” campaign and installed an idea box.

But one week later, when a production worker made a suggestion during a team meeting, the floor supervisor said, “That’s not your job - just stick to the line.”

The message had been clear. But the culture hadn’t shifted. After that, no one used the box again. The solution wasn’t a better sign. It was a culture reset - starting with team leaders learning how to receive ideas without defensiveness.

Culture must carry the message, not contradict it.

Five Ways to Align Culture and Communication

1. Model What You Say

People copy what they see. If you want kindness, be kind. If you want directness, be direct. If you want feedback to flow, show you can take it, not just give it.

2. Close the Say–Do Gap

Don’t say things you can’t or won’t back up. “We’re committed to work-life balance” rings hollow if people are expected to respond to weekend emails. Better to be honest about what’s real than promise what isn’t lived.

3. Use Everyday Channels to Reinforce Values

Culture doesn’t live in posters. It lives in -

• Who gets promoted

• What gets talked about in meetings

• How conflict is handled

• What gets celebrated at morning tea

• How mistakes are treated

Use those moments to back up what you claim to stand for.

4. Call It Out - Gently

If someone’s behaviour undercuts your culture, speak up. You don’t need to be dramatic.

“That’s not how we do things here.”
“Let’s take a breath - we value respectful disagreement.”
“I want to pause that. I think that crossed a line.”

Culture is a shared responsibility and culture drifts unless it’s guided.

5. Check What’s Being Heard

Sometimes, what leaders think they’re saying isn’t what’s landing. Ask questions -

• “How do you experience our culture in busy periods?”

• “What’s something we say we value but don’t always deliver on?”

• “What would make it easier to speak up around here?”

You’ll learn more in one honest conversation than a dozen staff surveys.

Final Thought

You can’t communicate your way out of a culture problem but you can build a culture that speaks for itself.

When your culture and communication line up, people feel safe, clear and energised. They stop wasting time guessing what’s expected. They start speaking up more. Trust deepens. Performance lifts. Don’t just talk about your culture. Live it. In emails. In tone. In meetings. In the way people are treated every day.

In the next article, we’ll dig deeper into how people interpret what’s said - through their own filters, experiences and assumptions.

If you’d like a confidential, free of charge, free of obligation conversation about your business, here’s how to get me.

📞 Phone +64 275 665 682
✉️ Email john.luxton@regenerationhq.co.nz
🌐 Contact Form www.regenerationhq.co.nz/contact

If you’d like to read more RegenerationHQ thinking on SME business and other things, go here – www.regenerationhq.co.nz/articlesoverview

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Supporting NZ SME Owners to Exit Well, Lead Better and Build Business Value.