Summary: Rather than pursuing teamwork perfection, organisations should treat collaboration as a ‘wicked problem’ with no single solution. Effective collaborators share 11 key behaviours, including active listening, inquiry over judgement, and appreciation. However, collaboration requires more than good intentions – it needs clear processes, robust feedback mechanisms, and reward systems that encourage teamwork rather than individual performance. Most organisations under-collaborate despite valuing it highly, making it a fundamental leadership responsibility to amplify existing examples of good teamwork rather than forcing it everywhere.

Collaboration is widely recognised as essential for business health. Our own research backs this up, with 97% of managers feeling it was critical for organisational success. It also repeatedly surfaces as a hot topic in organisations globally, across a range of sectors – from healthcare to beverages to beauty.

Our research has also shown us that collaboration isn’t easy. In fact, 50% of respondents said that they preferred to solve problems independently. And 40% felt that they lacked the time and space to work together.

Collaboration is a wicked problem

For us, workplace collaboration is best viewed as a wicked problem, meaning that there is no perfect answer. Created by professors Horst Rittel and Melvin Weber of the University of California, Berkeley, the concept describes complex problems that have no single, best solution.

The British psychologist Douglas Winnicott wrote about the concept of ‘Good enough parenting’, meaning that there is no such thing as the perfect parent.

Similarly, no organisation or team works together perfectly. Collaboration can only be good enough. The question is, what does ‘good enough’ look like for your organisation? To define this, you will need to have open and frank conversations.

Start by identifying where good teamwork is already happening, and then expand and amplify these behaviours. If positive examples of effective teamwork are absent, it’s highly unlikely to happen simply through top-down mandates.

What makes a great collaborator?

Our research reveals 11 behaviours that distinguish the best collaborators:

Active listening

Team players listen intently. Not just for facts, but emotions, assumptions and values. They wait to hear what the other person is really saying rather than jumping in too quickly with their own thoughts.

Read: Five barriers to good listening habits

Creating space

Linked to active listening, team players allow for pauses and silence in a conversation. This fosters deeper reflection and understanding. 

Read: Time to reflect – why does it matter in the workplace?

Inquiry over judgment

They ask more questions to learn more and draw out ideas, rather than jumping to criticism and judgment.

The late American psychologist, Carl Rogers, stated that the biggest barrier to interpersonal communication was our tendency to evaluate others’ statements from our own perspective.

If we close other people’s ideas down or judge them too quickly, then we are effectively excluding the possibility of team work. 

Looking for what is useful

Instead of judging, effective collaborators look for what might be interesting or useful in an idea, recognise this, and then add to it by linking their own ideas. They tend to use “Yes…. and”, rather than “Yes…. but.”

Appreciation

They look for what is useful or interesting in other people’s perspectives and make a point of noticing this and sharing their appreciation. This boosts energy and motivation in the unified effort.

Constructive challenge

There will always be times in any team work where there are differences of opinion. Good leaders address differences of opinion respectfully and skillfully.

Clear processes

Successful organisations establish and follow agreed-upon processes for collaboration, rather than assuming that good intentions alone are sufficient.

Robust feedback mechanisms

The best teams and organisations understand the need for clear feedback mechanisms to drive continuous improvement.

An excellent example of this is given by the England Rugby Union’s professional referees under the guidance of Paul Hull. The referees and their coaches meet two days after their games to review their performance in each match. Every aspect, positive and negative, is examined with a view to improving the referee’s performance. The key lessons from each review are taken and then shared in the wider forum with all their colleagues – a level of feedback rarely seen in other organisations.

Aligned rewards systems

Rewards systems should encourage, not block, collaboration.

Unfortunately, in many organisations, leaders ask for more and better collaboration, but their reward system gets in the way by recognising individual efforts, not collaboration.

Measuring and rewarding teamwork is challenging but essential for lasting change.

Leadership commitment

In successful organisations, leaders role-model collaborative behaviours and foster a culture that encourages and rewards collaborative working practices.

Purposeful collaboration

There must also be a clear purpose to the partnership and not simply collaboration for its own sake. The Norwegian-American researcher Morten Hansen eloquently makes the case against over-collaboration.

Over-collaboration can certainly get in the way of effectiveness. However, in our experience, under collaboration is the bigger risk. The best organisations share a clear message that expresses the “why” of teamwork.

Ultimately, leadership is defined by the ability to help people work together effectively. If leaders do not facilitate collaboration, they miss a fundamental responsibility.

Key takeaways

Where is collaboration breaking down in your organisation? Here’s how to move from good intentions to genuine teamwork:

• Define what ‘good enough’ collaboration looks like for your context. Rather than pursuing perfection, identify where effective teamwork already exists and amplify those behaviours. Use these as your benchmark, not an idealised version that doesn’t fit your reality.
• Develop the 11 behaviours of great collaborators. Focus on active listening, inquiry over judgement, creating space for reflection, and looking for what’s useful in others’ ideas. These skills are learnable and drive real impact when practised consistently.
• Align your reward systems with collaborative goals. If you’re asking for teamwork but only recognising individual achievement, you’re blocking the behaviour you want. Measure and reward collaboration explicitly, even though it’s challenging.
• Establish clear processes and feedback mechanisms. Collaboration doesn’t improve through mandates alone. Create agreed-upon processes for working together and robust feedback loops that drive continuous improvement.
• Lead by example with purposeful collaboration. Model collaborative behaviours yourself and clarify the ‘why’ behind teamwork. Focus on amplifying existing good practice rather than forcing collaboration everywhere – under-collaboration is the bigger risk.

Guy Lubitsh and Mike Brent are leadership experts, Professors at Hult Ashridge Executive Education and authors of new book The Leader’s Guide to Collaboration