# Your Collaboration is Broken. Here's How to Fix It. > The secret to collaboration isn't more collaboration—but rather, better collaboration. In this Inc. guest column, get actionable tips to fix collaboration. Source: https://asana.com/resources/collaboration-is-broken ## Collaboration is broken. Here's how to fix it. _This article was originally published on_[Inc.](https://www.inc.com/rebecca-hinds/collaboration-is-broken-heres-how-to-fix-it.html) Collaboration at work has reached a fever pitch. Everywhere you look, there's another company or news article touting the benefits of a connected, collaborative workforce. And that's understandable—collaboration can [be good](https://www.inc.com/laura-montini/infographic/how-teams-drive-innovation-productivity-and-growth.html) for your company. But when it's not intentional—or, worse, when it's mismanaged—collaboration can actually [hurt your organization](https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/science-says-collaboration-is-vastly-overrated.html).  The key lies in knowing how your employees work together. In other words, you need what my colleagues and I call "collaborative intelligence." #### Optimizing your tech stack for the AI era From security risks to productivity loss, app sprawl may be costing you more than you think. Our latest guide reveals the true impact of an oversized tech stack and provides strategies to optimize your IT spend. Don't let hidden costs hold you back: - [Download the guide](/resources/optimizing-ai-driven-tech-stack-ebook?utm_source=article-banner&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=app-consolidation) ## What is collaborative intelligence? Collaborative intelligence helps leaders understand how employees collaborate. It reveals the interconnected ways your employees work together. It can help you pinpoint how your teams can do their best work—[boosting their](https://www.inc.com/slack/improve-collaboration-to-get-more-done.html)productivity and, ultimately, your bottom line. But it isn't easy. To achieve effective collaboration, you need to get to an elusive middle ground between too much and too little. Too much collaboration, and your workers can feel overloaded by notifications, meetings, and other bloat. Too little collaboration, and your teams become disconnected and isolated.  ## The problem with collaboration. With more distributed work, more technologies, and more complex workflows, collaboration has become more invisible than ever. As a leader, it's impossible to see all the ways your teams are working together. Collaboration is also increasing overall. According to research led by Babson College Professor Rob Cross, employees [spend 50 percent](https://hbr.org/2022/12/how-to-fix-collaboration-overload) more time collaborating today than they did a decade ago. [Cross' work](https://hbr.org/2016/01/collaborative-overload) shows that up to 35 percent of high-value collaboration within your organization comes from only 3 to 5 percent of your employees. This often means your highest performers are doing the bulk of the collaborative work, which means they are the most at risk of [burning out](https://www.inc.com/rob-cross/3-ways-to-collaborate-more-efficiently-avoid-burnout.html) and leaving your organization. Of course, collaboration isn't inherently bad. Harvard's Heidi Gardner has [shown](https://hbr.org/2019/05/cross-silo-leadership) that when teams work together across departments, they are able to boost customer loyalty and margins.  The problem is that companies often reach for collaboration when they could instead lean on simpler, more cost-effective coordination efforts.  Coordination, which involves more sequential rather than simultaneous work (think handoffs and baton passes), is simpler than collaboration. But leaders are still more interested in collaboration for shared work. That's because collaboration has a halo effect, driving leaders to believe it is synonymous with teamwork. In our recent research at [The Work Innovation Lab](http://workinnovationlab.com/), a think tank by Asana where I work, we found that roughly one in five leaders don't know the difference between the two terms. Do you?  As a leader, you _can't_ set your employees up to collaborate in effective ways if you don't know what collaboration means.  ## The solution? Collaborative intelligence. It's not enough to simply collaborate—you and your employees need to collaborate the _right_ way. And what's right will depend on what you're trying to optimize for_._For example, in our research, we've found that companies need to collaborate in different ways depending on whether they are trying to boost innovation or uplevel the customer experience.  Collaborative intelligence can often lead to unexpected findings. For example, we recently conducted a study that looked at how Fortune 500 companies collaborate to produce great customer experiences. We found that today, customer-experience teams are 70 percent more likely to collaborate with other departments, like marketing and operations. That's even more than teams like HR or IT, which formally serve their entire companies!  In short, collaboration is complex and often invisible. That's why a data-driven approach is so crucial. You can only improve collaboration when you understand how your company works. ## Collaboration is broken—but there's a fix. Within your company, chances are that many of your workers feel either overloaded, isolated, or a mix of both. But they probably don't tell you this. So, how do you identify where these issues are happening, and who is impacted?  By building your own internal collaborative intelligence. Start by mapping out where collaboration is happening, through different physical and virtual spaces, and through different technologies. Information is power, especially when you're responsible for leading an organization.  When it comes to optimizing collaboration at your company, you can't afford to just follow your instincts. Collaboration is too complex and too invisible. Collaborative intelligence offers an alternative to managing the way your teams work. Through the data and insights you discover, you can make collaboration work for you—not the other way around. #### An executive’s guide to high-value collaboration In this research-backed playbook, get insights about when to use collaboration vs. coordination (and why that distinction matters) - [Get the full report](/work-innovation-lab/work-innovation-high-value-collaboration/) - [Get the full report](/work-innovation-lab/work-innovation-high-value-collaboration/) Work management - [10 Best task management software and tools for modern teams](/resources/best-task-management-software) Work management #### Contributor If managing a growing to-do list is challenging, task management software can help you stay organized, whether for personal tasks or team projects. This guide provides a comprehen ... - [The ABCs of KPIs: Defining Key Performance Indicators](/resources/key-performance-indicator-kpi) Goals Project planning #### Writer A key performance indicator (KPI) is a quantitative metric of how your team or organization is progressing toward important business objectives. Organizations use KPIs at multiple ... - [The 10 best workflow management software tools](/resources/best-workflow-management-software) Work management #### Contributor Today, teams work across different locations, systems, and platforms. This means they often have to manage requests, approvals, deadlines, and files using several tools. As workfl ... - [How Asana takes creative production briefs from one week to same-day execution with AI teammates](/resources/asana-creative-production-briefs-with-ai-teammates) AI at work #### Content writer When Aubrey Rogers, Head of Creative Operations & Production at Asana, kicks off a new creative campaign, she doesn’t start with execution. First, she needs to understand what’s h ... - [Collaboration is broken. Here's how to fix it.](/resources/collaboration-is-broken) Work management Work management - [Head of The Work Innovation Lab](/author/rebecca-hinds) This article was originally published on Inc. Collaboration at work has reached a fever pitch. Everywhere you look, there's another company or news article touting the benefits of ...