Relationships in organizations and the bond that breaks

Chapter introduction

Organizations do not break only through processes, margins, or results. Very often, they begin to break through relationships: trust weakens, conversations become defensive, and silence takes the place of truth.

This second step explores the moment when the organizational bond begins to fracture. People keep working together, but they no longer necessarily move in the same direction. Roles remain, charts remain, procedures remain. What is often lost, almost invisibly, is the quality of connection.

Recognizing this fracture is essential. No deep transformation can grow from impoverished relationships. Before transforming an organization, we must understand what has happened between the people who live inside it.