NEW YORK, NY, August 6, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Culture isn't shaped by what organizations say they value. It's shaped by what leaders reward, tolerate and reinforce every day. According to the Culture at Work Study, a new national research study released today by senior-level advisory firm bink, 91% of culture, communications and HR leaders agree the disconnect between leadership messaging and leadership behavior is one of the most damaging cultural forces inside organizations.
Respondents overwhelmingly linked culture to business outcomes: 87% said it has influenced business performance, and 84% said it has influenced employee retention. The say-do gap this study identifies isn't simply a communications challenge — it's a business one.
Conducted in partnership with Audience Audit, the study surveyed 300 professionals responsible for culture, internal communications, human resources, employee experience and organizational strategy across industries. Rather than measuring cultural health within a single organization, the research examined how culture is understood, reinforced and experienced across organizations, focusing on the leadership behaviors, systems and structural conditions that shape how work actually gets done. Responses were collected anonymously to encourage candid feedback.
“We expected to find a mix of viewpoints on the importance of culture. We didn't,” said Ann Melinger, CEO of bink. "We found remarkable agreement about what good culture looks like. The real breakdown happens when leadership behavior doesn't match leadership messaging. Employees learn what an organization truly values by watching what leaders reward, tolerate and reinforce every day.”
Key findings:
- More than half (54%) of respondents say the people responsible for improving culture lack the authority to change the systems that shape it, revealing a widespread gap between accountability and decision-making power.
- 68% agree structural systems matter more than messaging when shaping culture, suggesting organizations cannot communicate their way to a stronger culture if leadership behavior, incentives and accountability remain misaligned.
- 78% say employees learn the real culture by watching what senior leaders tolerate, reinforcing that everyday leadership decisions — not values statements — ultimately define organizational culture.
“Our research suggests one of the biggest barriers to stronger cultures is that organizations have delegated responsibility without delegating authority,” Melinger said. “Organizations are most successful when senior leaders actively reinforce culture through the behaviors, decisions and systems they oversee.”
About the Culture at Work Study
The Culture at Work Study is based on responses from 300 professionals representing organizations across industries, company sizes and ownership structures, with distribution support from ContactMonkey, EPM Scientific/Glocomms, ICology, Poppulo, Simpplr and Workshop. Participants included leaders from internal communications, human resources, executive leadership, operations and strategy, providing a cross-functional perspective on how culture is understood and managed inside organizations.
Access the complete findings of the Culture at Work Study.
About bink
bink is a senior-level advisory firm that helps leaders align business strategy and organizational culture to accelerate performance. With particular expertise in the life sciences sector, bink partners with organizations navigating growth, transformation and other high-stakes moments to embed culture into leadership, systems and communications. Through research, advisory services and proprietary methodologies, bink helps organizations create cultures that drive execution, innovation and long-term business success. Learn more at thinkbink.com.
Media Contact
Meredith Klein
MK Consulting
mereditheklein@gmail.com
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SOURCE: bink
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