Collaboration fatigue is real – we need to put joy back into collaboration.

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”

— Henry Ford

Collaboration has always been central to meaningful work. Whether you're launching a new initiative, solving a complex challenge, or brainstorming bold ideas, collaboration fuels it all. And yet—for something so essential—why does it often feel exhausting, inconsistent, and ineffective?

Let’s talk about it.

In theory, collaboration promises synergy. In reality, however, it often seems to be delivering fatigue.

According to McKinsey, employees spend <strong>61% of their time managing work—emails, meetings, coordination—leaving little room for deep work or innovation. Similarly, Harvard Business Review reports that collaborative demands have risen by over 50%, yet productivity hasn’t kept pace.

Common frustrations we hear:

• Endless meetings with unclear outcomes
• Communication breakdowns across teams, roles, and locations
• Siloed tools that make collaboration feel more like a task than a conversation
• Burnout from constant connectivity and blurred boundaries
• Individual goals that unintentionally discourage collaboration

Sound familiar?

Since the pandemic, the way we work has changed dramatically. Hybrid teams. Remote-first models. Global collaboration across time zones. And with it, employee expectations have shifted—people now seek autonomy, flexibility, and meaningful work.

Yet many collaborative practices are relics of a pre-pandemic office culture.

Old habits persist in a more digital, decentralised world and are serving as a barrier to collaboration:

• Rigid calendars packed with back-to-back calls
• One-size-fits-all communication tools
• Collaboration measured by “visibility” rather than value

This misalignment between how people want to work and how collaboration is structured is more than a nuisance—it’s a blocker to innovation and engagement.

Before we jump to a conclusion and define a solution, here’s a reality check: not all collaboration is good collaboration.

Too little collaboration creates silos, duplicated work, and missed opportunities. But too much? That leads to collaborative overload—a state where high-contributing individuals are stretched across too many projects and meetings, often becoming bottlenecks themselves.

According to HBR, those most relied upon in collaboration are also the ones at greatest risk of burnout.

The sweet spot? Intentional collaboration—with clear roles, shared purpose, and protected time to focus.

Organisational culture matters here. When the responsibility to collaborate falls on a select few, it fosters imbalance. That’s where Organisational Network Analysis (ONA) is proving invaluable—shedding light on how people truly connect and collaborate beyond org charts and reporting lines.

We often use “teamwork” and “collaboration” interchangeably, but let’s break it to that they are not the same.

• Teamwork is about delivering on defined tasks together, with clear responsibilities.
• Collaboration is about co-creating, problem-solving, and building something better. It’s messier, more dynamic, and thrives on diversity of thought.

Confusing the two leads to mismatched expectations. Collaboration without clarity becomes chaos. Teamwork without agility becomes bureaucracy.

Organisations with strong collaborative cultures intentionally design experiences that support both.

To make collaboration fit for the modern workplace, we need to shift from forced teamwork to meaningful collaboration.

This might look like:

• Designing physical and digital spaces that spark curiosity, energy, and yes—joy
• Identifying the day-to-day behaviours and systems that hinder collaboration
• Inspiring and empowering teams to find and own their shared ways of working together
• Making collaboration visible, valued, and celebrated

We’re at the edge of a new way of working—one that’s intuitive, energising, and fundamentally human.

Imagine a way of working that isn’t just functional, but fulfilling.

A culture that brings clarity, creativity, and connection back into how we collaborate.

A workplace where people feel inspired and willing to go an extra mile to work with another.

Want to know more about how we spark curiosity, create conversations and build connections?

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