I'm not saying "don't try." And I'm also not disagreeing that people, on the whole, respond well to attempts to understand them and communicate with them.
My observation is that it is ultimately organizational culture that frames the way people communicate and how they understand each other. Individuals can move the needle a bit depending on the size of the company and their position in it. But largely they are powerless against the prevailing culture.
In a healthy organization, your efforts to understand the rest of the business and its needs will be accepted as you intend and will benefit yourself, your team and the business. In the average toxic organization, your good intentions won't matter and your questions won't be received the way you intend. Staying upbeat and helpful in these environments might even result in you being punished.
My observation is that it is ultimately organizational culture that frames the way people communicate and how they understand each other. Individuals can move the needle a bit depending on the size of the company and their position in it. But largely they are powerless against the prevailing culture.
In a healthy organization, your efforts to understand the rest of the business and its needs will be accepted as you intend and will benefit yourself, your team and the business. In the average toxic organization, your good intentions won't matter and your questions won't be received the way you intend. Staying upbeat and helpful in these environments might even result in you being punished.