Organizational Culture Through Employee Narratives: An Analysis of Internal Communication Practices

The manner of communication highly impacts the culture within an organization. It plays a pivotal role in shaping how employees view their workplace environment and level of engagement within the company. For example, when companies have open lines of communication in place, employees tend to grasp the values and norms that define the organization. However, in workplaces, there is often a disconnect between the desired culture and what employees experience, from the employees' perspective. This research aims to bridge this gap by examining how employees perceive culture based on their interactions with communication practices. Many studies emphasize the significance of communication in molding culture but sometimes overlook the insights offered by employees from their own experiences and perspectives, as seen in story-driven research works. This research employs a method focusing on narratives to explore spoken accounts from employees within a company to identify themes and trends in how internal communication influences the culture within the organization. The results indicate that employees' viewpoints can shed light on whether there is harmony or discordance with the organization's core values, which could highlight areas where transparency and inclusivity could be enhanced. The study's findings suggest ways to improve communication strategies that enhance employee experience within a culture and provide insights for organizations to align their projected culture with the employees' experiences.