Effective internal communication in BANI context and complex environments

In a scenario where uncertainty and constant change are part of everyday life, having a solid internal communication strategy in a BANI context has become essential for organizations to maintain cohesion, clarity, and resilience.

This article explores how to effectively manage brittle, anxious, nonlinear, and incomprehensible environments, strengthening purpose and connection among people within companies.

What is the BANI context and how it affects organizations

The BANI model was proposed by futurist Jamais Cascio as an evolution of the well-known VUCA world. While VUCA described volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, this model (BANI) goes one step further.. It focuses on how these characteristics impact the human experience within organizations.

Below, we break down the acronym to better understand this approach:
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  • Brittle: systems that seem solid but collapse easily, like rigid hierarchical structures in the face of global or social crises.
  • Anxious: information overload and constant uncertainty generate anxiety within teams, affecting productivity and emotional well-being.
  • Nonlinear: causes don’t always have predictable effects. For example, a small local crisis can trigger global consequences.
  • Incomprehensible: information overload doesn’t guarantee understanding. Even with a lot of data, the picture can remain confusing.
Qué es el contexto BANI

This new paradigm means that companies need innovative approaches to stay afloat. In this context, strategic internal communication becomes essential, offering emotional support, clarity, and reinforcement of organizational purpose.

Benefits of internal communication in a BANI context

Internal communication is not a corporate luxury but a fundamental system for dealing with high-complexity environments. In a BANI context, its benefits are enhanced:

Sustains organizational culture

Through consistent messaging, it helps preserve the company’s identity even amid constant change.

Ejecución creativa.

Reduces collective anxiety

A McKinsey study indicates that organizations with strong internal communication have more engaged and resilient employees in times of uncertainty. The article also states:

“Effective communication in organizations brings about and sustains lasting change. If you ask people about the most memorable moments in their work life, they often include a moment of effective communication.”

cambios constantes

Internal communication in a BANI context

Builds shared meaning

Helps people understand the purpose of their tasks and how they align with broader objectives.

Promotes transparency

Clear, honest, and open communication reduces rumors and builds trust, even in the face of difficult news.

Facilitates adaptation

Well-managed internal communication prepares people both emotionally and operationally for change.

How to face the BANI context through internal communication

1. Listen actively

Not just about communicating, but creating real listening channels. This involves:

    • Frequent surveys
    • Open and safe feedback spaces
    • Analysis of informal team conversations

When people feel heard, they are more committed to the organizational process.​

2. Care for emotions

In an anxious and brittle environment, the emotional component is central. Communicate not only what is happening, but how it affects people:

    • Include empathetic messages in key communications
    • Validate emotions without minimizing the impact of the context
    • Incorporate support spaces like active breaks or wellness talks

3.Communicate with clarity

Clarity is the antidote to the incomprehensible. Ideally, complex strategies should be translated into formats understandable at all levels of the organization:

    • Avoid technical jargon
    • Use mixed formats: video, infographics, podcasts
    • Repeat key messages across multiple channels

4. Create narratives

Stories help to understand the context and connect emotionally:

    • Use storytelling to explain difficult decisions
    • Humanize messages: put faces, names, and real emotions behind each action
    • Highlight stories of internal resilience to inspire others
      According to a Harvard Business Review article, activating purpose is impossible without storytelling. While purpose is essential to a strong corporate culture, it is often activated and reinforced through narrative.
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Storytelling

5. Promote closeness

Visible and human leadership is key in complex contexts. This involves:

    • Short videos from the CEO with transparent messages
    • Direct dialogue spaces like town halls
    • Empathetic leaders who listen as much as they speak

Challenges to consider

Despite its benefits, there are challenges that cannot be ignored when implementing internal communication actions. Here are the most common:

  • Channel saturation: too many internal platforms can create confusion. Clear content and format curation is essential.

  • Difficult contexts with internal communication
    Cultural diversity: global organizations face different social, linguistic, and emotional realities. Internal communication must be interculturally sensitive.
  • Strategic misalignment: when leadership is not aligned, messages lose impact and credibility. The joint work of Oxean’s dedicated teams with the client’s internal communication area can prevent these breakdowns.

Real cases that inspire

At Oxean, we support companies from various industries in navigating BANI scenarios. One of our clients, with operations in eight countries, was going through a deep organizational change. The challenge was to avoid emotional disconnection.

Together with their communication team, we designed an integrative narrative, activated local spokespersons, created emotional support spaces, and used empathetic formats.

The result: a 35% improvement in internal engagement indexes, and a more connected network of collaborators than ever before.

Internal communication is a strategic tool that can make the difference between a resilient and an overwhelmed organization. In BANI times, clarity, empathy, and active listening become essential pillars.

Is your organization ready to face the unexpected?

Let’s talk about how to design an internal communication strategy tailored to your company’s reality.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Although it may seem complex, it is possible to start with low-cost actions such as improving existing channels, encouraging feedback meetings, and training leaders in emotional communication. The important thing is to act with strategic intent from the beginning.

In times of high uncertainty, strategic internal communication helps maintain direction, align the team, and reinforce a shared purpose. This undoubtedly strengthens organizational resilience and minimizes the impact of external chaos.

To achieve this, it is essential to translate the message according to each level’s context. For example, what a CEO communicates can be transformed into more relatable and operational stories for frontline teams, while always maintaining consistency in the narrative.

 

When collective anxiety is not addressed, it turns into internal noise: performance drops, turnover increases, and the culture deteriorates. That’s why timely and empathetic communication can be the best antidote in these contexts.

Nowadays, tools like pulse surveys, anonymous feedback platforms, or sentiment analysis on internal channels help detect tensions and needs. However, digital solutions must be complemented with real spaces for conversation.

 

Culture is sustained through shared symbols, stories, and practices. In moments of change, internal communication acts as a vehicle to reinforce those key elements and prevent them from fading amid new dynamics.

Being transparent reduces uncertainty and prevents rumors or misinterpretations. As leaders share clear information, internal trust is strengthened—a vital resource in fragile contexts.

 

Some useful KPIs include survey participation levels, the reach and engagement of key messages, and organizational climate indexes. These data help continuously refine and improve the communication strategy.

The BANI model forces companies to diversify channels and adapt them based on teams’ levels of understanding, anxiety, or fragility. For example, instead of relying solely on emails, visual formats, brief capsules, or synchronous support spaces are required.

Town halls are key to humanizing leadership. In them, leaders not only inform but also open up to dialogue, address concerns, and validate emotions. Over time, this builds a stronger bond of trust and closeness.