PITFALL
SCIENTIFIC BASIS
WARNING SIGNS
SOLUTIONS
Illusion of collaboration Many meetings but no real co-creation Loss of productivity Unstructured, ineffective brainstorming
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Many meetings, few decisions The same people always dominate Ideas are shared but not integrated A sense of “collaboration theatre” Unanimous decisions reached too quickly No one challenges assumptions Dissenting voices are marginalised People had reservations but stayed silent Collective decisions are not implemented No clear ownership of outcomes Failures are attributed to “the team” Tasks fall through the cracks Introverts feel drained and underperform Only visible group work is valued People pretend to collaborate to “look good” Decline in deep, high- quality work
Use effective structures (e.g. Design Thinking) Rotate roles: facilitator, note-taker, timekeeper Track who speaks, who influences, and who remains silent Encourage individual reflection before collective sharing Appoint a devil’s advocate to challenge ideas Reward constructive objections Use anonymous voting before open discussion Foster cognitive diversity, not just demographic diversity Define a clear RACI: who decides, executes, and is consulted Use structured follow-up: who does what, by when Celebrate both individual and collective successes Build flexibility: solo, duo or group work depending on the task Protect time for individual reflection Recognise behind-the- scenes contributions Allow people to choose when to collaborate Name one owner per decision
1. SUPERFICIAL COLLABORATION
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Pitfalls to avoid:
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Groupthink bias Seeking consensus at the expense of critical analysis Pressure to conform Avoiding conflict by suppressing disagreement Bystander effect The more people involved, the less responsible each feels Dilution of accountability “Collective responsibility” = no one is responsible Forced collaboration Imposing collaboration on those who prefer solo work Ignoring different working styles Introverts and extroverts have different needs
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2. GROUPTHINK
Collaboration
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3. COLLABORATION WITHOUT ACCOUNTABILITY
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4. TOXIC COLLABORATION
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19 © 2026 JONATHAN NORMAND. THIS WORK IS LICENSED UNDER A CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION NONCOMMERCIAL 4.0 INTERNATIONAL LICENSE (CC BY-NC 4.0)
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