Why Emails Don’t Build Culture: What Research Says About Real Communication
When goals are slipping or alignment feels off, most leaders start with an email.
It feels efficient — a quick check-in, a list of reminders, a few encouraging words. But research consistently shows that when it comes to real organizational change, email isn’t enough.
The Myth of the Perfect Email
Email is great for logistics and updates — but when we use it to build culture, it falls flat.
That’s because culture isn’t built through information; it’s built through connection.
Psychologists and communication theorists have found that we interpret meaning not just from words, but from tone, body language, timing, and feedback. When those cues are missing, messages can feel colder, flatter, and less urgent — even when they’re well written.
What the Research Says
Media Richness Theory (Daft & Lengel, 1986) explains that some communication channels are “richer” than others. Rich channels — like in-person meetings or live video — allow for immediate feedback, emotional cues, and clearer understanding.
“Lean” channels — like email — are great for data, but weak for dialogue.
Similarly, Karen Byron’s (2008) research on email communication found that emotion and intent are often misunderstood in emails. Even short, neutral messages can be interpreted as negative when tone cues are missing.
So when leaders send “How’s progress on our goals?” emails and hear nothing back, it’s not necessarily disengagement — it’s that the message didn’t invite conversation.
What Meetings Do Differently
Meetings aren’t just for updates — they’re for meaning-making. When people meet to discuss goals, they have the chance to:
Ask questions that clarify assumptions.
Hear how others are interpreting the same priorities.
Build shared understanding — and shared ownership.
It’s the social construction of clarity that matters. You can’t get that through reply-all.
When to Email vs. When to Meet
Use email for:
Quick updates, reminders, or summaries
Sharing data or reference documents
Confirming decisions already made
Use meetings for:
Launching new initiatives or strategies
Checking in on goals that require collaboration
Exploring barriers, questions, or concerns
The key is to match the communication method to the task complexity — not the leader’s convenience.
Final Thought
Email informs. Meetings connect.
And culture is built on connection.
If you want people to care about the goals, you have to create space where they can see how their work fits into the story. That story can’t live in an inbox — it has to live in conversation.
VibeCheck Insight
Use email to document decisions, not make them.
Build recurring meetings for reflection, not just reporting.
Remember: culture grows where communication is human.