The Collaboration Tension: Structure vs. Speed
How Growing Companies Can Build Team Alignment Without Losing Momentum
In the early days, collaboration is effortless.
You’re small, fast, and flexible. Everyone’s in the loop, even without formal processes. But as headcount grows, things start to slip—
Teams double-book work. Priorities get blurred. Handoffs get missed.
It’s not because people aren’t working hard. It’s because the system hasn’t grown with the company.
And that’s when collaboration starts to feel like friction.
You’re still moving—but not always forward.
This is the collaboration tension that every growing company eventually faces:
How do we build the structure we need—without killing the speed that got us here?
Why Collaboration Starts to Break Down
Growth doesn’t create problems. It reveals them.
And collaboration is often one of the first places it shows.
As headcount increases and functional roles become more distinct, the informal ways we used to coordinate stop working. The friction builds when:
Roles and responsibilities stay vague, even as the stakes rise.
Dependencies increase, and what used to be a quick ask now becomes a handoff across time zones or departments.
Decisions slow down because it’s unclear who owns what—or because people default to checking with leadership before moving forward.
At that point, the instinct is often one of two things:
Keep moving fast and hope it works out.
Introduce lots of process—and hope it fixes everything.
Neither works for long.
Structure Isn’t the Enemy of Collaboration—It’s the Enabler
I’ve heard it many times:
“If we add structure, we’ll lose our agility.”
But let me offer a reframe:
The right structure doesn’t slow you down—it speeds you up.
When collaboration starts to falter, what’s usually missing isn’t effort—it’s clarity.
Teams don’t need more meetings. They need sharper agreements on:
Who’s making the call.
What success looks like.
When updates and handoffs happen.
That kind of clarity creates momentum—not friction.
What Strong Collaboration Looks Like in a Scaling Organization
As your company grows, effective collaboration shifts from organic to intentional. Here’s what that looks like on the ground:
Strategic clarity: Teams can name the top 3 priorities and show how their work connects.
Proactive dependency mapping: Leaders and teams understand where they rely on others—and plan accordingly.
Shared ownership: Projects don’t fall through the cracks because “that’s their job.” Accountability is mutual.
Fast, healthy escalation: When challenges arise, teams have a clear path for surfacing and resolving issues productively.
When I assess collaboration in scaling companies, I often lean on three areas from my Strategic Execution Framework:
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Decision-Making Effectiveness
Strategic Clarity & Alignment
When these three areas are out of sync, no amount of effort can compensate. But when they’re aligned, execution accelerates—and trust grows.
3 Moves to Strengthen Collaboration Without Slowing Down
If you’re starting to feel that tension between structure and speed, the good news is—you don’t need an overhaul.
You just need a few intentional moves that create clarity without slowing your team down.
Here are three ways to get started:
1. Map Your Dependencies
Before launching into the next quarter, pause. Where does your team rely on others to move work forward? Where do others rely on you? Naming these dependencies early creates room to plan—not panic.
2. Build a Working Agreement with Key Partner Teams
No need for a 10-page SOP. Just agree on a few basics:
Who owns what?
When do we check in?
How will we flag issues?
3. Tighten Your Leadership Rhythm
Collaboration often breaks at the top. Make sure your leadership team has regular, focused time to review cross-functional priorities, resolve bottlenecks, and align on big-picture direction.
Growth Doesn’t Have to Mean Chaos
Growing pains are real—but they’re not a sign that something’s wrong. They’re a signal that what worked before needs to evolve.
Collaboration doesn’t need to feel like a tug-of-war between speed and structure. With the right clarity and routines, your team can move even faster—together.
If your team is feeling the strain of growth, it may be time for a quick check-in.
A short diagnostic conversation can reveal where collaboration is breaking down—and where a few shifts could free up speed, clarity, and capacity.
