Why Communication Gets Harder as Teams Grow (and How to Fix It)

Do you know the feeling, when you say something to your partner and it’s met with a puzzled “what did you just say?” only to realise they’ve heard something completely different? Or you’re out with your friends in a crowded bar, trying to land that witty response only to find out they were actually talking about the scenic steam boats, not self-sealing stem bolts. If not, then maybe it’s just me.

In the social setting, miscommunication can lead to hilarious moments, sometimes with you being the butt of the joke for years to come, and that’s from personal experience. But in business, especially when it comes to internal communication in small businesses, miscommunication isn’t funny. It costs time, money, and trust. That’s why rooting it out is essential, especially if your company is in a period of growth.

Getting Your Teams Working As One

My last blog focused on cross departmental alignment. A big part of that comes from your teams being able to communicate. Without it, teams end up working in silos and you’re back to square one. Not a great look.

It’s easy to assume poor communication only plagues large organisations. In reality, the moment you have more than one person, complexity begins, and it grows fast. When a company is growing, that’s the most critical time to instill good communication practices, because the habits you set early will scale with your business.

If you need more persuading, then a great way to look at how “Chinese whispers” can gain a hold in a growing company is through the following diagrams:

When there’s only two people involved it’s a straight forward back and forth.

When there’s three, it’s still relatively simple.

But when we move up to 4, complexity starts to creep in.

With 10 people, well, it’s a lot of conversations to manage.

Or if you would like to see the equation, here’s the science-y bit.

Where n = number of people.

2 people = 1 channel
4 people = 6 channels
8 people = 28 channels

It’s important to note the number of potential communication channels in a group isn’t linear, it’s exponential.

Our Two Big Communication Take-Aways

Firstly, it’s a great visual to show how small teams and companies aren’t immune. As a company grows and adds headcount the communication lines multiply quickly and complexity creeps in.

Secondly, dare we bring in cross-team communication? You’ve now got a sales team of 8 taking to a marketing team of 4 and a product team of 7. Adding multiple teams allows the web of connections to become staggering.

The Key To Good Communication

Implementing effective internal communication doesn’t require expensive software or complex systems. It requires intention, consistency, and leadership commitment, especially during growth phases. Start by identifying where information currently gets stuck in your organisation. Create simple, regular touchpoints for sharing updates. Establish clear ownership for communicating different types of information.

The goal isn’t to create bureaucracy. It’s clarity. When everyone knows what they need to know, when they need to know it, your business can operate like a well-oiled machine.

Don’t let your business become a cautionary tale about the small company that “didn’t need” good communication systems. In today’s competitive landscape, effective internal communication isn’t just nice to have, it’s essential for survival and growth, regardless of your company’s size.

Cross Departmental Alignment Isn’t Just About Your Org Chart

And remember my previous blog on cross-departmental alignment? They’re not just organisational problems, they’re communication multiplication problems. When your sales team of 8 needs to align with marketing’s 4 and product’s 7, you’re creating hundreds of potential communication channels, each one a chance for “scenic steam boats” to be heard. The solution isn’t more meetings or longer email chains. It’s about creating structured communication rhythms between departments.

But how do you actually build those rhythms? How do you create structured communication channels that allow the flow of information from one department to another? My next post will focus on this very topic, from daily standups to cross functional syncs and everything in between. Because it’s all well and good acknowledging the problem, but dealing with it is the real battle.

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