Are leaders still communicating as though employees think and respond the way they did a decade ago?
A message can be polished, persuasive, and clearly delivered, yet still miss its purpose. Employees may hear what a leader says without grasping the reasoning behind a decision, what it means for their role, or what happens next. The gap lies between delivery and understanding, because effective communication depends not only on what is said, but on how people make sense of it.
A decade of behavioral research shows that employee communication preferences have changed, which raises a fair question: do established leadership practices still meet people’s needs?
Some employees want detailed explanations and supporting evidence before they accept a decision, while others look for consistency, trust, and a clear sense of how that decision affects them. Leaders who recognize these differences can communicate in ways that convey both the information and what it means for the person receiving it.
What Ten Years of Data Tell Us About What Employees Need to Hear
Velocity Advisory Group recently published a study that suggests employees’ communication preferences today differ considerably from those recorded ten years ago. The analysis draws on the company’s own framework, The Birds™, which groups behavioral and communication preferences into four archetypes: the dominant Eagle, the influencing Parrot, the steady Dove, and the conscientious Owl.
Between 2014 and 2025, the combined share of employees with Owl and Dove preferences rose from about 58% to more than 76%. Parrots saw the steepest decline of the four. These findings suggest a trend toward more analytical and relationship-oriented preferences, with potential implications for how leaders explain decisions, introduce change, and build support for new initiatives.
That rise matters because Owls and Doves tend to need different things from a leader’s message. People who lean toward the Owl style may value detailed information, supporting evidence, and logical explanations before committing to a decision. Those with stronger Dove preferences may place greater emphasis on consistency, trust, and how decisions affect both them and others. Recognizing these differences helps leaders consider not only what to communicate, but what employees need in order to understand the message and act on it with confidence.
What This Means for Leaders, and Why 2020 Was a Turning Point
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated the adoption of remote work, forcing organizations to embrace digital tools at a scale and speed few had anticipated. Almost overnight, employees in remote-capable roles had to adapt to virtual meetings, instant messaging, and online collaboration in place of in-person communication. This transformed how colleagues interacted and how leaders delivered information.
The Velocity Advisory Group’s study identifies 2020 as a pivotal year for workplace communication preferences (with changes that appear to have persisted since). It does not establish why those preferences changed or how much the pandemic contributed. It does, however, raise a practical question: Have organizations updated their leadership and communication practices to match today’s workforce?
The findings also have implications for how leaders communicate during periods of instability and rapid change. David Grossman, a leading U.S. expert on leadership and internal communication, makes this case in an Allwork.Space podcast, identifying human skills such as empathy as essential to leading through instability. In his article on communicating with context, he goes further, arguing that leaders should explain not only what is happening, but why decisions are being made, what they mean in practice, and how they affect employees. Announcements delivered with conviction are not enough; people also need to understand the reasoning behind them and the next steps. That matters most when team members process information differently.
How Leaders Can Bridge Communication Gaps in the Workplace
A gap often exists between what organizations communicate and what employees actually understand. Many leaders equate effective communication with delivering a message clearly, and overlook whether people grasp its meaning and implications. Strong leadership communication also explains the reasoning behind decisions, clarifies their impact on employees, and gives people the chance to ask questions and raise concerns.
In its 2026 IC Index, the Institute of Internal Communication reported that only 49% of surveyed U.K. employees felt their organizations clearly explained the reasons for organizational change. This suggests many organizations have considerable work to do to ensure employees understand decisions that affect their jobs.
Leaders should acknowledge that the same explanation will not land the same way with everyone: some employees want detailed evidence and a clear rationale, while others prioritize guidance and reassurance.
As new technologies transform the workplace and employee expectations continue to change, communication methods that once worked no longer meet the needs of a workforce with diverse preferences. Leaders can start by making communication more intentional, flexible, and people-centered. The following six practical approaches show how.
Six Ways Leaders Can Improve Workplace Communication
1. Explain the reasoning behind decisions.
Provide context when announcing a decision, for instance, why it was made, what evidence informed it, and what employees can expect next. People respond better when they understand the reasoning and practical implications, not only the outcome.
2. Give employees time to process information.
People absorb information at different paces and in different ways. Share important updates in writing, allow time for reflection, and offer follow-up opportunities.
3. Combine clarity with empathy.
Direct communication is essential in difficult periods, but leaders must also consider how decisions affect people. Deliver hard news plainly, acknowledge concerns, explain what support is available, and avoid promises you cannot guarantee.
4. Recognize individual preferences.
Behavioral frameworks can start useful conversations about how people prefer to receive information, contribute ideas, and make decisions. They should not become rigid labels, though. Ask employees what works for them rather than assuming from a behavioral category.
5. Make communication two-way.
Effective leadership means listening as well as explaining. Regular feedback, open discussion, and room for constructive challenge help leaders spot misunderstandings, gauge how decisions are landing, and improve future messages. This matters most when organizational change is continuous.
6. Build trust through consistent, transparent updates.
Employees need honesty about what is known, what remains unresolved, and when more information will arrive. Leaders do not need every answer, but they do need to be frank about what happens next.
Leadership communication requires ongoing attention, curiosity, and a willingness to learn from employees. Behavioral data can reveal communication preferences, but its value lies in how leaders apply those insights in everyday interactions. The most effective leaders do more than deliver clear, consistent messages; they also check how employees interpret them.
Perhaps the real test of leadership communication is not what leaders say, but what employees take away from it.
