From communication gaps to capability gaps: why scaling companies need more than a vision
A companion perspective to the Gartner® report “Success Demands Tech CEOs Evolve Their Communications Over the Company Journey”
When communication fails, it’s rarely just about communication
Gartner recently published a report exploring how the communication responsibilities of tech CEOs evolve as their companies scale from early-stage startups through mid-stage growth to mature enterprises. Having worked closely with leadership teams of global organizations for over 15 years, I’ve seen firsthand how communication demands shift dramatically (and often painfully) as companies transition through these stages.
In the Gartner report, I shared this reflection based on what I’ve observed:
“One of the first priorities is effective communication, second is collaboration within groups and third is the speed of decision making. I think effective communication sets us up well for success when the company and the people understand roles and responsibilities. It makes collaboration easier – not simpler, but easier. And it definitely positively impacts decision-making speed.”
Yet, despite the importance of good communication, it’s rarely the root cause when things go wrong. More often, poor communication is the symptom, revealing deeper organizational capability gaps.
The hidden link between communication and capability
Gartner identifies the shifting role of the CEO from founder to executive communicator. But what’s often overlooked is that clearer messaging alone won’t solve underlying operational problems. Consider these common scenarios:
- Early-stage: A CEO passionately communicates their vision, yet teams struggle due to unclear roles, vague processes, or lack of customer validation.
- Mid-stage: Leadership frequently updates strategy, yet growing teams remain disconnected due to unclear priorities or inefficient workflows.
- Mature-stage: Clear directives are regularly given, but teams become risk-averse, hesitant, and slow due to overly bureaucratic approval systems and a fear-based culture.
On the surface, each scenario looks like a communication breakdown. Yet each is fundamentally driven by deeper capability gaps: misalignment around customer value, inefficient operational flows, or cultures that discourage continuous learning and adaptability.
These issues persist even with perfect messaging. Why? Because communication alone can’t fix what isn’t working beneath the surface. And when these deeper issues go unaddressed, organizations risk something equally damaging: transformation fatigue. The constant churn of disconnected initiatives, shifting directives, and unclear priorities wears teams down. Not because they resist change, but because they’re being asked to change without the clarity or support to succeed.
Why communication without operational clarity fails
Gartner notes the communication changes at each stage of growth that represent a shift from a paradigm of “doing” (founding leader) to “leading” (executive leader). But true leadership isn’t about making better speeches. Rather, it’s about aligning organizational ways of working so communication can translate effectively into action.
At Emergn, we’ve observed that communication improves dramatically when operational clarity exists, regardless of their growth stage:
- Teams aligned around clear definitions of customer value don’t constantly require top-down clarification, leading to greater strategic clarity and decision-making agility.
- Organizations designed for seamless flow – from idea through implementation – eliminate communication bottlenecks and enable more efficient resource allocation and improved overall organizational productivity.
- Cultures embracing learning over perfection naturally foster open, effective dialogue.
This is precisely why we emphasize shifting to a product-led operating model. Moving from episodic, reactive changes to continuous evolution, from short-term projects to sustainable product thinking, and from hierarchical control to empowered, cross-functional teams directly address these underlying operational challenges.
Product-led companies communicate differently because they work differently
Communication within product-led organizations differs fundamentally because their ways of working naturally reinforce clarity and alignment. These companies build capability at every organizational level – not just leadership – ensuring everyone understands customer value deeply. They intentionally align incentives, roles, and processes to deliver that value continuously.
A key difference is their attitude toward learning: instead of penalizing mistakes, these companies foster continuous improvement and adaptability. They employ practical frameworks like Value, Flow, Quality (VFQ) to embed this clarity into daily decisions, significantly reducing the need for constant top-down clarification. As a result, decision-making accelerates, alignment improves, and communication becomes strategic rather than reactive.
When teams are clear on purpose, empowered to act, and supported by systems that naturally reinforce alignment, communication becomes inherently effective.
Challenging the conventional wisdom
CEOs often assume clearer communication alone will solve scaling challenges. The uncomfortable truth? Communication isn’t effective in isolation, it requires alignment with how the organization truly operates at each stage of growth. If your operational model isn’t clear, even the best communication amplifies existing confusion.
We believe the Gartner report underscores evolving CEO communication. But lasting success requires more: it demands rethinking how your organization actually works.
That’s the work we do at Emergn. We partner with organizations to address the underlying capability gaps that create communication issues. Together, we build the foundations for lasting success. Not just in words, but in how teams work, how decisions get made, and how value gets delivered.
If the Gartner insights resonate with you, I invite you to explore the full report here.
Gartner, Success Demands Tech CEOs Evolve Their Communications Over the Company Journey, Peter Havart-Simkin, 19 May 2025
GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
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