3 Signs Your Culture Is Confusing Your Team (And How to Fix It)

You’ve rolled out the mission. You’ve hosted the workshops. There’s even a poster in the break room. 

So why does your team still seem confused about what your culture actually means? 

It’s more common than you think. Culture confusion happens when there’s a gap between what leaders say and what teams experience. The good news? It’s fixable. 

Here are 3 signs your workplace culture might be sending mixed signals—plus what you can do to get everyone back on the same page. 

1️⃣ Your Values Sound Good—But No One Knows What They Mean 

Words like respect, excellence, or integrity are great in theory. But unless your team knows what those look like in action, they’re just noise. 

The Fix: 

• Translate each value into 1–2 clear, observable behaviors. 

• Use real examples during meetings, training, or shout-outs to spotlight when the value is being lived. 

Clarity drives confidence. When people know how to do the culture, they’ll live it. 

2️⃣ Leaders Say One Thing, But Do Another 

If leadership talks about empowerment but micromanages every detail, your culture sends a mixed message. And mixed messages break trust. 

➡️ A Gallup study found that employees who strongly agree their leaders' actions match their words are 55% more engaged, highlighting the powerful role of leader consistency in culture. 

The Fix: 

• Audit your leadership behaviors against your stated culture. 

• Offer training or coaching to close the gap—especially for middle managers who often set the day-to-day tone. 

Culture isn’t taught by telling. It’s taught by modelling. 

3️⃣ Teams Don’t Know How Culture Connects to Their Role 

When team members can’t see how culture connects to what they do every day, they disengage—or worse, make it up as they go. 

The Fix: 

• Involve employees in defining how culture shows up in their unique roles. 

• Make culture a visible part of hiring, onboarding, and performance reviews. 

Your culture should feel like a compass—not a mystery. 

✨ Final Thought 

A confusing culture can create frustration, inconsistency, and even turnover. But when your values, leadership behaviors, and day-to-day actions are in sync? That’s when culture becomes your competitive edge. 

💡 Want to bring clarity to your culture? 

BrightSpark helps organizations align purpose with practice. Let’s cut the confusion and build a service culture your whole team can believe in. 

📩 Reach out to our team 

📚 References 

1. Gallup (2020). State of the American Workplace. Retrieved from gallup.com