The Polystyrene Cup Problem: What It Reveals About Leadership and Communication

During a recent partner visit, one of our coaches met with a Nurse Unit Manager at a large hospital. After celebrating some recent wins, they posed a crucial question: ‘What’s your biggest challenge right now?’ Her response was both eye-opening and familiar—one that many leaders in healthcare are grappling with today.

But what she said next was unexpected: polystyrene cups.

Curious, they asked her to explain. She shared that their department had been asked to eliminate polystyrene cups. As a result, staff started bringing their own cups from home, and the team scrambled to find alternatives to ensure cups were available for staff, patients, and families. When asked why, she assumed it was part of a new directive related to waste management.

Then it clicked—the real issue wasn’t about recycling. It was part of a larger organisational effort for financial sustainability. There was no formal directive; rather, leaders had been asked to come up with cost-saving ideas, and one team had decided to reduce cup usage.

Unfortunately, this NUM hadn’t been informed of the broader strategy. She only heard about the change through a colleague. This lack of clarity created unnecessary stress for her and her team.

The disconnect here was communication. Yes, the organisation had shared cost-saving initiatives, but the message never effectively reached frontline staff. Along the way, it was diluted, misinterpreted, or lost altogether.

In leadership, we often talk about the importance of clear, open, and transparent communication. Many organisations have incredible tools and frameworks to support this, but it’s important to pause and ask: Are they truly achieving the intended outcomes?

Clear, consistent, and purposeful communication is essential for staff to feel informed, empowered, and connected to organisational goals. It’s not just about delivering a message—it’s about ensuring it is received, understood, and put into action.

Here are some effective communication strategies to drive organisational alignment and engagement: