The Cost of Broken Collaboration — And How to Fix It

Collaboration is how we multiply our efforts — but only when it works.

When it doesn’t, things start to slip: deadlines, clarity, trust. And the damage isn’t always loud — sometimes, it just looks like team tension, stalled decisions, or a bunch of emails that go nowhere.

We’ve all felt it:

You’re meeting, you’re “aligned,” you’re looping people in… but somehow, you’re still stuck.

This is the quiet cost of broken collaboration. And it’s more common than most leaders, coaches, or team members realize.

Why Collaboration Breaks Down (Even Among Good People)The truth is: most people are doing their best. They show up. They respond. They try to be flexible.But collaboration fails not because people don’t care — it fails when the how of working together was never made clear.

We underestimate how much effort effective collaboration takes. We skip the check-ins. We avoid clarifying expectations. We assume we’re on the same page — until we’re not.

And when collaboration lacks structure, we start to see the symptoms:

• Decision-making stalls
• Roles feel unclear
• Tension rises behind the scenes
• Burnout creeps in, especially for the most dependable people

Sometimes, it shows up as analysis paralysis:The team keeps circling the same idea, waiting for consensus, never quite landing the plane.

Collaboration Isn’t a Vibe — It’s a Practice

Real collaboration doesn’t “just happen.” It’s not a personality trait. It’s not about being nice. It’s about being person-centered in how we work — with colleagues, clients, and everyone in between.

That means:

✅ Naming expectations clearly

✅ Asking for clarity (instead of assuming it)

✅ Sharing responsibility — not just tasks

✅ Building trust by showing your work

✅ Adapting your collaboration style to fit the moment

Whether you’re coaching a client, co-planning a project, or working with your supervisor on a tough decision, collaboration is happening.

The only question is: is it helping or hurting

What It Takes to Keep Collaboration Strong

Here’s the part most people skip:

Collaboration requires maintenance.

And yes — even when it’s just two people.

You might think you don’t need to “form a team” or “set expectations” if you’re only working with one other person. But those small partnerships are where things most often go unspoken. Power goes unacknowledged. Frustrations stay hidden. Workloads tilt. It’s not corny to set norms or clarify expectations — it’s responsible. It’s what keeps good relationships from falling into resentment.

5 Questions That Make Collaboration Better

(Especially when you’re stuck)

Try these in your next conversation, project kickoff, or coaching session:

• “What are we actually trying to decide here?”
• “What does support look like in this moment — input, ownership, or just listening?”
• “What are you hoping we walk away with today?”
• “What assumptions might we be making?”
• “Are any roles or decisions still fuzzy?”

These are called forming questions — they bring clarity into the room. And whether you’re forming a group or forming a new idea, clarity is the foundation of collaboration.

Five Ways to Make Collaboration Work (Without Burning Out)

1. Make expectations visible — don’t rely on shared assumptions
2. Clarify decision-making — who decides what, and how?
3. Match the moment — are you aligning, partnering, or co-creating?
4. Check for clarity regularly, not just at the start
5. Don’t skip repair — collaboration doesn’t fail because it breaks; it fails when we pretend it didn’t

Let’s Practice This — Together

If you’ve ever walked away from a meeting thinking, “Why was that so exhausting?” — it might not be the task. It might be the collaboration.

That’s why we created Coaching for Change — a space to see real coaching in action and explore tools that help you collaborate better, coach more clearly, and lead with less burnout.