Samone Cook: When Collaboration Turns Into Organizational Coagulation

Samone Cook, Principal, Talent Management at OneTrust, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Collaboration. It’s a buzzword that’s become increasingly more common- and rightly so.

Not only does it sound good, but it looks great on paper.

It often shows up neatly tucked into the black-and-white text of company values and resumes alike. And yet, many organizations struggle to define it.

And what’s worse is that if organizations can’t define it, they can’t recognize it- let alone model or reward it.

So, what is collaboration?

And how do we know if an individual or team does it well?

At its core, collaboration means ‘to labor together.’

In the professional context, it involves a group of individuals with unique backgrounds and skillsets whose collective efforts produce an enhanced outcome that no single contributor could have achieved alone.

It’s a fluid, active process that leverages open communication, shared resources, diverse perspectives, and adaptability to create synergy. I like to think of collaboration as the circulatory system of a company.

When done well, things flow- there’s an organic exchange that yields specialized value.

Ideas move. Innovation occurs.

Decisions happen and value compounds.

It’s marked by forward momentum and efficiency.

When done poorly, something else happens: coagulation.

Medically speaking, coagulation is when blood clots to prevent excessive bleeding (a necessary function in biology), but in the context of organizational effectiveness, this is far from desirable.

When this occurs, ‘collaboration’ just becomes a cover for performative togetherness.

Coagulation often disguises itself as collaboration because it prioritizes appearing aligned over moving work forward.

So what are some key symptoms of organizational coagulation?

Consensus clog

An over-reliance on consensus seeking for even the most minor details.

You’ve seen some version of it before: endless email chains, excessive stakeholder inclusion and blurred ownership. In these cases, confidence and/or expertise may be low.

Input is solicited not to improve outcomes, but to distribute accountability.

This may look like a colleague looping everyone into an email chain to diffuse responsibility because if the boat sinks, everyone was technically on board.

The culprit is a fear-based internal narrative that supposes if we collaborate on everything, no one person can be blamed for a failure or ball drop.

This is far from teamwork, but instead, a blockage that stalls agility, progress, and accountability.

The sync-sink

Recurring meetings with no clear purpose or outcome. In many cases, these meetings include too many, too few, and/or incorrect stakeholders.

This often occurs where clear ownership and accountability haven’t been defined. Coagulation can feel like hard work, but it isn’t progress.

The consequence is that meetings become placeholders for action instead of drivers of it.

The infinite workshop

Endless brainstorming with no transition to execution.

This shows up as intricate whiteboards, PowerPoint presentations, and colorful Post-it notes that hold projects and progress hostage in the brainstorm phase.

These sometimes provide the aesthetic of innovation without ever moving from idea to action, in which case form is prioritized over function.

All of these markers, alongside groupthink, information silos, and rigid bureaucracy, are byproducts of coagulation.

So how can organizations and leaders maintain the efficacy of true collaboration and avoid the clot trap?

1. For every project, task, or meeting, ensure a clear RACI (Responsible, Accountable,  Consulted, Informed). When designated individuals are clearly defined, performative togetherness can’t exist because it forces teams to outline who’s executing vs. watching the work.  It helps team members understand where input is appropriate vs. where permission is required.
2. Have Leadership define and model an operating rhythm for meeting culture that values time and efficiency. When Leadership defines and demonstrates why and how teams meet, teams are set up for success.  Does the company encourage everyone to attend meetings to ensure everyone feels aligned? Or is it important to schedule meetings if specific expertise is required for a decision? Are meeting goals clearly outlined at the start of each meeting (ie. Success today looks like X)? Perhaps it depends on the context, but whatever the case, it’s important to have a clear stance.
3. Cultivate a culture of excellence, not perfection. Coagulation is often caused by a lack of expertise or fear of making a mistake. Combat this by nurturing a culture of excellence, not perfection. Normalize the ability to fail fast, iterate and pivot- empower good enough while teaching teams to balance speed with precision. How might this look? For example, if a team member has 70% confidence and the decision can be reversed, they’re empowered to move.

If your teams are running into bottlenecks or are stuck in the ‘clot’ of performative togetherness, it may be time to revisit how you collaborate.”

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