contain an important message that others can orient their actions on, and they
captivate the listener. Throughout the evolution of humankind, knowledge has
primarily been passed on in stories – and only recently by PowerPoint. And even
children understand the world in terms of stories (see Kotter 2004).
3.2.4.1 Communicating on All Levels
Communication is the heart of every organization and fulfils numerous functions:
through communication, knowledge, opinions, ideas and expectations are
exchanged, reviewed and modified. Relationships are established and maintained,
and the capital of the modern enterprise – namely, knowledge – is increased in the
process. Communication supports both rational and emotional understanding. It is,
according to Paul Watzlawick, impossible not to communicate, because even
silence is a message (see Watzlawick et al. 2000, p. 72 ff.).
The iceberg model (see Sect.3.1.1) not only explains how communication works
in an organization, but how interpersonal communication works in general. It can
be applied to different communication types and situations, whether face-to-face
interactions in conversations and discussions, or full-scale change and restructuring
processes in organizations.
While the visible part of the iceberg above the water indicates the “what,” the
content level of the negotiated issue or matter, there is often the “how” of commu-
nication, such as issues of the climate of conversation or relationship issues
between the communication partners, which lurk invisible beneath the water’s
surface.
Just as in the case of the iceberg the invisible main body determines the position
of the visible tip of the iceberg, often the character and quality of the relationship
level, or the nature of the “invisible-unconscious” communication aspects deter-
mine the success of the communication on the “visible-conscious” surface of each
topic. A rule of thumb says that up to 80% of all decisions are made at the
relationship the level. This also shows how important it is to understand the
body language of the person we are talking with in order to bring a conversation
or a negotiation to a successful conclusion. It is also essential to be sensitive
to the importance of the relationship without neglecting the substantive issue of
communication (Fig.3.2).
The relationship level of communication always dominates the content level.
If the “line” between the manager and the employees is missing, the relationship-
based disorders will distort so many signals from the daily work that the content can
be completely lost. Without a concrete context or reference at the relationship level,
the message doesn’t get through. If, for example, appreciation of the organizational
members is missing, even if the board has a very good concept for a substantive
change, it will fail due to underlying problems of acceptance and motivation.
Most communications in businesses, as I have observed, take place mainly on
the content level and rarely (intentionally) on the relationship level. Often feelings
are masked by factual statements because no one wants to talk about their own
3.2 Leading with Your Head and Heart 139