The Hidden Costs of Awkward Collaboration: How Misalignment Between Individuals and Groups Hurts Your Organization

Collaboration is like a finely tuned orchestra. When everyone plays their part, the result is a symphony of productivity and success. But what happens when the violin section is perfectly in sync, but the brass section is playing from a different sheet of music? Welcome to the world of awkward collaboration.

Awkward collaboration occurs when organizations excel at fostering individual collaboration but stumble when it comes to groups collaborating. Sure, Bob from marketing is great at jumping in to help Susan from sales with a quick task, but when it comes to cross-departmental projects, things get, well, awkward.

The problem is that while we all value collaboration in theory, in practice, it’s often neutralized by our commitment to keeping our departments, teams, or even levels in the hierarchy as autonomous as possible. This means that while individuals may collaborate well, groups within your organization often miss the mark. The result? Collaborative gaps that slow down progress, create frustration, and lead to missed opportunities.

Think about it: how often have you seen a project flounder because different departments were out of sync? Or worse, have you ever noticed that even when a project is “successful,” it’s still not living up to its potential because key collaborative opportunities were missed? These are the hidden costs of awkward collaboration—costs that your organization is likely paying more often than you realize.

The solution isn’t to force more collaboration but to reduce the barriers that make collaboration awkward in the first place. By focusing on clarity in decision-making, reducing cognitive load, and making your hierarchy more accessible, you can transform your organization’s collaborative efforts from awkward to awesome.

Question for Reflection: How often do collaborative efforts in your organization fall short of expectations, and what barriers might be contributing to these missed opportunities?

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This content pulls out insights from Culture Change Made Easy by Jamie Notter and Maddie Grant. See more resources at culturechangemadeeasybook.com and ask us about bulk orders of print books!