Written by authors Chad Murphy and Jonathan R. Clark and published in the journal Organizational Dynamics in 2016, this research demonstrates how leaders' use of vivid and concrete language can inspire clarity, commitment, and alignment among team members.

Photo by Jason Goodman on Unsplash
The article discusses how leaders can effectively communicate organizational purpose through language, using Cleveland Clinic as a key example. In 2007, CEO Delos Cosgrove shifted the organization's focus after learning that despite excellent medical outcomes, patients were choosing other hospitals due to Cleveland Clinic's perceived lack of empathy.
Key Points:
Leadership Communication Impact:
Cosgrove's new messaging focused on patient experience beyond just medical outcomes
This shift led to dramatic improvements in patient satisfaction scores, outpacing national averages
The success wasn't just from new programs, but from how the purpose was communicated
Creating Shared Purpose:
Organizations vary in how effectively they convey their purpose
The goal isn't just to communicate purpose, but to create a shared understanding across the organization
Leaders should avoid vague, grandiose statements (like "changing the world") in favor of more concrete, meaningful messaging
Effective Communication Framework: The article proposes that effective purpose-driven communication requires two key elements:
Concrete, image-based language about long-term goals
Focused, limited conceptual language
Implementation Challenges:
Leaders often think too abstractly when considering future vision
There's a tendency to create overly grand, all-encompassing visions
The challenge is making the vision both inspiring and practically meaningful
The article emphasizes that while many studies focus on communication style (body language, emotional displays), the actual linguistic and rhetorical elements of leadership communication are more crucial for creating shared purpose and improving organizational performance.
Read the full article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0090261616000097
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