Team communication is often overlooked, resulting in ineffectiveness within teams, as organisations fail to identify the root causes of low productivity and disengagement among employees. In transforming and fragmented work environments, communication between team leads and members is more than just information exchange – it is truly the heartbeat of effective teams. Nevertheless, communication issues in organisations remain a hot topic, often causing problems such as low employee morale, missed goals, and poor performance. Frequently, emails are misread, meetings lack clear agendas and produce no outcomes, while team members isolate themselves despite working together at the workplace.
Improving communication at work can be challenging, influenced by many factors such as the team’s history, the communication context, goal clarity, individual characteristics, and the external atmosphere. So, the question arises: how do we move beyond superficial exchanges to foster effective workplace communication? Another important question is: how can we build trust among team members while promoting unity and shared purpose?
In many organisations, value-based discussions are often neglected, despite their potential to deliver tremendous results when implemented effectively. These are deliberate conversations between team leaders and members, aimed at defining not just what we do, but why we do it. For communication to shift from transactional to transformational, the team must align around core values and express them through open dialogue.
This blog explores how to improve team communication through value-based discussions and why this approach is considered among the best strategies in contemporary workplace settings.
Let’s begin!
The Real Issue: More Than Just Misinterpretations
Before exploring solutions, it’s crucial to understand the core problem.Communication issues in organisations are rarely about inadequate tools or their usage frequency; they often stem from trust, clarity, and connection between team members. Common cultural issues include:
- Lack of psychological safety
- Unclear values and organisational expectations
- Conflicts between individual and collective goals
- Disengagement with leadership and organisational purpose
How employees speak or write isn’t usually considered problematic as long as it is purposeful and professional. Workplace values are vital because they act as the invisible threads binding teams together.
Why Value-Based Discussions Matter
Value-based communication isn’t just a trendy phrase; it’s a practical approach that elevates communication standards.
When teams engage in value-based discussions, they develop a shared language and culture that enhance workplace communication. Benefits of regular small-group discussions focused on core values like integrity, respect, accountability, or empathy include:
- The workplace becomes a space where empathy and mutual understanding thrive.
- Employees feel safe to uncover and address hidden tensions.
- Mutual efforts align team actions with the company’s mission.
- Trust and loyalty among team members grow.
- Collaboration improves as teams encourage vulnerability.
Therefore, shifting from superficial talk to meaningful dialogue is recommended, as it distinguishes best practices from mere performance.
How to Improve Team Communication Using Value-Based Discussion
This strategy clearly demonstrates positive outcomes. Here’s a roadmap:
1. Identify Your Core Values (Individually and as a Team)
Every organisation has stated values that all team members should understand. If gaps exist, begin by revisiting these values and assessing whether employees truly believe in and apply them.
Action Step:
If assessments reveal gaps, hold a meeting where each team member shares one or two personal values and explains their importance. Compare these with the company’s values to align individual and organisational principles, motivating everyone to contribute.
2. Use Small Groups for Deeper Dialogue
Large meetings can inhibit honest expression, so small group discussions—comprising 6-10 people—are preferable. These create a safe environment for deeper conversations without fear of judgment.
Action Step:
Conduct these meetings biweekly, facilitated by someone using a simple framework with questions like:
- Can you describe the importance of this value according to your beliefs?
- How do you demonstrate this value within your team?
- What improvements can be made to this value?
3. Use Values as a Feedback Lens
Employees often hesitate to give or receive feedback, mainly due to poor communication. Feedback delivered in a professional, value-based manner avoids misunderstandings. For instance, instead of saying, “You were so harsh in that meeting,” say, “Our company’s core values include respect as a fundamental aspect. When that interruption occurred, respect was compromised.”
Action Step:
Implement value-based feedback during performance reviews and one-on-one meetings.
4. Prioritise Listening Over Immediate Solutions
Employee communication improvement can only take place when leaders start understanding the issues rather than just trying to fix them without addressing the root cause. Prioritising listening is a crucial part of value-based discussion, and the company should promote the culture of listening.
Action Step:
In the team meeting, or a value session, you can assign one person to be a listener, and their only job is to reflect what they’re observing at the workplace while being expressive without judgment.
5. Normalise Vulnerability and Disagreement
At workplaces, leaders often find it challenging to address a question: How to build trust in teams. This can only be done when employees are given the opportunity to disagree with dignity. You cannot expect people to trust you without giving them a chance to disagree, as when you welcome different viewpoints without labelling them threats, you get much better outcomes in the overall productivity.
Action Step:
Some steps that should be promoted in the workplace environment as a part of value-based discussion include:
- Assume good intentions of others, as no one always disagrees with bad intentions.
- Employees should know how to disagree without disrespect; give them a session on how to disagree without being rude.
- Ask them to speak for themselves, not for others.
If this is implemented religiously, it may result in a healthier communication culture in organisations.
Value-Based Communication in Action
One of the most challenging issues within the corporate world is missing project deadlines, which can be handled through value-based discussion in a small group setting, instead of a top-down reprimand.
By revisiting the company’s value of accountability, the team leads can ask open-ended questions to the employees, allowing them to express their inner struggles. The questions may include:
- In your opinion, what makes accountability challenging right now?
- Can you suggest how we can support each other in staying accountable?
- What changes can we bring to our system to meet the deadlines effectively?
Through such open-ended questions, the company can understand why employees are feeling overwhelmed and why there are blurred priorities among them. This is such a productive solution a company can opt for because it will allow team members to suggest realistic project deadlines that can be easily met by them with a shared progress objective. Blaming and shaming the teams aren’t necessarily required when you want to build your company’s culture.
This is an excellent example of team alignment through communication, so explore it by yourself!
Recommended Resources for Value-Based Team Communication
Want to discover some amazing resources with inspiring transformations? Let’s go deeper with some of the best books that will inspire you to the core:
“The Small Group Initiative” by “Hal Chappelear”, Kate Noonan, and Rachelle Munsey
“The Small Group Initiative” is an invitation to different industry leaders to solve one of the most challenging issues, the employee disengagement crisis, as many of them fail to resolve this concern. According to the book’s perspective, an institution’s culture influences employee engagement indirectly, sabotaging its ability to innovate. In a straightforward approach, the book presents a much-needed solution, such as taking 6-10 individuals in a team to handle the subject of core values. Through this respectful discussion, company leaders can rebuild the employees’ trust while making them feel comfortable in sharing their individual concerns at the workplace. The best part of this excellent resource is that its outline and methods can be applied in any sort of organisation. The authors of this book collectively share 82 years of their experience from different fields, including religion, non-profits, academia, leadership development, and business, to show that workplace culture can only be improved with graceful discussions and employee engagement; therefore, they suggest implementing value-based discussions, promoting meaningful and engaging communication.
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by “Patrick Lencioni”
As one of the best leadership handbooks for modern executives, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” shares a realistic fable from the leadership experience of DecisionTech’s CEO, Kathryn Petersen. This book is special because it reveals one of the biggest leadership crises faced by Kathryn Petersen. From the pathetic experience of Petersen, the author discloses the five behavioural tendencies that go to the heart of why even the best teams struggle. To resolve those behavioural issues, Patrick offers a powerful model and step-by-step guide. This powerful book reminds us that even the best companies face the uncertainty of different dysfunctions, but the most challenging issues start with team behaviour.
“Crucial Conversations” by “Joseph Grenny”, “Kerry Patterson”, and “Ron McMillan”
“Crucial Conversations” brings a revolution in the field of business communication with its updated aspects and solutions that perfectly suit modern-day issues. The most striking feature of this page-turner is that it teaches its readers how to be persuasive rather than abrasive. If you want to promote a productive dialogue within your workplace settings, you must read “Crucial Conversations”, which shares a secret to organisational success – good relationships at the workplace.
Why Value-Based Discussion Works at Every Funnel Stage
Let’s explore how value-based discussions operate throughout the marketing funnel:
Awareness Stage:
This initial phase helps identify communication issues within organisations. While it may not uncover the root causes immediately, progressing through this stage allows value-based dialogue to reveal hidden fractures.
Consideration Stage:
Here, you reflect on your real problem—such as how to enhance team communication. Opting for value-based communication provides a human-centred framework and practical approach.
Decision Stage:
Value-based communication is the ultimate remedy for a troubled corporate culture, often achievable through small group discussions at work. This method is ideal for organisations because it is cost-effective, impactful, and transformative.
Final Thoughts – Foster Connection with Simple Language
Communication isn’t about using better tools or polished strategies; it’s about cultivating a culture rooted in trust, authenticity, and shared values.
Regardless of the communication challenge, prioritise your employees—listen to them, invite their suggestions, and support them. This approach will undoubtedly change the game for you and your organisation.
Join this collaborative effort to build teams based on trust and integrity!
As Kate Noon, Hal Chappelear, and Rachelle Munsey state in their book, “The Small Group Initiative”:
“Every individual is treated as a leader in their own sphere of influence, the Small Group actively equips every participant to revitalise their institutional culture.”
Stay collaborative!
Learn 7 Signs Your Workplace Culture Needs a Small Group Initiative…
