6 Ways Leaders Can Reduce Workplace Drag and Boost Productivity

Open office designs and cross-functional teams have become standard practices aimed at fostering collaboration. Yet, despite these efforts, many organizational leaders struggle with a phenomenon known as the collaboration drag. This occurs when excessive or poorly managed collaboration hinders progress rather than driving it forward.

Companies pay roughly $100 million in lost productivity when collaboration becomes a roadblock. Inefficiencies, delays and frustrations are at the core of daily challenges. How leaders tackle these obstacles will ultimately shape the success of their projects.

Dr. Bill Perkins, retired United States Air Force Command Chief and executive coach, explains, “Whether engaged in project management, a process improvement initiative or generating goals for a strategy, cohesive cross-functional collaboration is essential for success. When relationship-building isn’t fortified in the culture, the emerging silos create barriers to progress; any cohesion developed may dissipate by the end of the meeting or session. For effective teamwork, the collaborations need to be driven by a purposeful framework with a focus on the identification of the problem or issue at hand, a value placed on perspectives and experience, an abstract conceptualization of how to move forward and a plan to make the ideas actionable.“

Collaboration drag can take many forms, each hindering productivity in different ways. Excessive meetings often leave employees bogged down with back-to-back sessions, reducing time for focused, independent work. Over communication, such as endless emails, chat messages or redundant updates, can overwhelm employees and distract them from high-priority tasks. Decision-making bottlenecks, caused by too many layers of approval or unclear roles, slow progress and frustrate teams, particularly in overly hierarchical organizations. Additionally, collaboration often demands significant cognitive and emotional energy; without proper management, this can result in team fatigue and burnout.

The Cost Of Collaboration Drag

According to Microsoft research, the time employees spend on collaboration tools has skyrocketed in recent years, but this doesn’t always translate to better outcomes. Employees who feel their time is wasted are less likely to feel motivated or connected to their work. Moreover, collaboration drag stifles the innovation process. When teams spend too much time navigating logistical hurdles or obtaining consensus, they have less bandwidth for creative problem-solving or experimenting with new ideas.

Streamline Meetings

Meetings are the biggest culprits of collaboration drag. Leaders can take steps to ensure that meetings are purposeful and productive:

• Set clear objectives: Every meeting should have a defined purpose and agenda. Avoid meetings that could be replaced with an email or quick update.
• Limit attendance: Only invite team members directly involved in the discussion or decision-making process.
• Time management: Keep meetings short and focused. Adopting 15- or 30-minute meeting formats can encourage participants to stay on topic.

Encourage Asynchronous Communication

Reduce overcommunication by promoting asynchronous communication methods. Tools like project management platforms Trello or Asana or shared documents like Google Workspace allow employees to provide updates, share ideas and track progress without interrupting others’ workflows.

Clarify Roles And Decision-Making Authority

Ambiguity in roles and responsibilities leads to bottlenecks. Leaders should ensure that each team member understands their role and decision-making authority. Using frameworks like the RACI model (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) can help clarify who does what in collaborative projects…

To continue reading this article in full click here: 6 Ways Leaders Can Manage The High Cost Of Workplace Collaboration Drag