EssilorLuxottica Hispanic Latam

Dominique Yunis Brugere

Organizational Culture Builder

Communication as a Strategic Capability

From the moment I graduated from university, I knew this was the field I wanted to pursue. I find a deep sense of purpose in using strategic communication to shape culture and inspire people to work toward a shared goal.

I work for a multinational company, leading corporate communications across 12 countries and three business lines. This experience has allowed me to confirm something I already understood when I chose this career path: communication is an essential capability for any organization. Regardless of its size, industry or geographic reach, communication connects strategy with people, provides context for decisions and helps build the culture required to achieve the desired results.

Building Alignment through Communication

When teams are spread across different countries and markets, strong and consistent communication helps bridge those distances and creates a shared experience. Communication is what brings people together under the same umbrella—and that umbrella is culture. It creates cohesion, consistency and a sense of belonging, even when local realities differ.

A strong organizational culture cannot be limited to corporate statements or values displayed on a poster. It must be visible in decisions, behaviors and the way leaders interact with their teams. Communication plays a central role in translating those principles into tangible experiences, helping people understand what the organization expects of them and why their work matters.

“Communication is what brings people together under the same umbrella—and that umbrella is culture.”

In today’s constantly changing environment, this has become even more important. Priorities, structures, technologies and ways of working can shift from one moment to the next. One of the greatest challenges for leaders is keeping people connected to a shared purpose and aligned with the direction the company is taking. Clear and timely communication helps reduce uncertainty. When employees understand why things are happening and feel involved in the process, they are more likely to remain confident and committed.

Building Performance through Culture

One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my career is that culture and business results do not move along separate paths. They are deeply interconnected. An organization may set ambitious goals, but without people aligned around a common purpose, those goals will be difficult to achieve.

When executives understand this relationship, culture begins to be recognized as a prerequisite for performance. People who find purpose in their work, feel valued and trust their leaders tend to deliver stronger results, respond with greater resilience and remain focused even in challenging circumstances.

Inclusion is also a fundamental part of this process. Latin America brings together a wide range of identities, experiences, and perspectives. This diversity can become an extraordinary source of innovation, provided there is a culture capable of recognizing its value.

Each person’s contribution enriches teams and helps challenge established practices. Differences can generate new ideas, break existing paradigms and open the door to more effective ways of working. Strategic communication must create the conditions for these contributions to be valued, and ensure that inclusion is reflected in people’s everyday experiences.

Communication beyond Technology

As I look toward the future, I see the importance of communication becoming increasingly clear. In a world flooded with tasks, messages, videos and notifications—completely saturated with information- the most effective organizational communication will be the most human. Artificial intelligence will undoubtedly make content creation and information analysis easier, but it will never replace the closeness and empathy that only people can bring to a message.

Moving forward, it will be especially important to strengthen communication between leaders and their teams. No technological tool can compensate for a lack of presence or genuine listening. The organizations that successfully demonstrate the importance of human value will be the ones that inspire their employees and keep them connected to what truly motivates us every day: the feeling that we are contributing to something greater than ourselves.