Presence without performance: Gulf internal comms study

Nine in ten Gulf organisations have an internal communications (IC) function, but fewer than one in three think it is highly effective or better. That is the central finding of Sage XP's second annual Gulf IC&C Landscape study, which surveyed 179 companies across the region between February and March 2026.

The profound gap between IC presence and perceived effectiveness — wider still for corporate culture, where 86% have initiatives but only 26% rate them effective — points to a function that has been built out rapidly without the structural foundations to deliver consistent performance, says Kateryna Byelova, CEO of Sage XP.