Examples of Famous Workplace Collaborations
Tech giants such as Google and Uber have led the way in workplace collaborations. Both companies have worked with industry leaders or brought together their own teams on famous projects that pushed the limits of innovation and partnership.
In recent years, remote collaboration between companies has become more common, as remote work has become the norm for many large companies. While this new distributed workforce does pose new challenges, it doesn’t have to be a hindrance to workplace collaboration overall.
In fact, a multitude of today’s tools make workplace collaboration very straightforward. These include video calling, instant messaging, and virtual whiteboards, as well as other cloud-based workplace collaboration and communication platforms.
Below, we explore some of the most famous collaborations these companies have been a part of and how they’ve shaped the modern landscape of workplace collaboration.
Example of Product Innovation Through Collaboration
One example of a successful collaboration at Google is the integration of Chrome and Android, where two major teams worked together to create a seamless user experience across devices. A strong culture of workplace collaboration, fostered by support from top executives, made this possible.
Google is a prime example of a company that excels at workplace collaboration. Within Google, collaboration across departments such as engineering, design, and marketing drives innovative product development, from Google Workspace to Chrome. Externally, Google partners with companies such as Samsung to create cutting-edge products such as Android.
By leveraging ChromeOS and Android’s shared technology stack, the teams introduced features that allow for seamless data synchronization, app compatibility, and user experience across platforms. This collaboration makes it easier for users to transition between web and mobile environments on Android devices. The integration of Google’s AI and cloud-based technologies also allows for faster updates and improvements, making both Chrome and Android smarter and more responsive to user needs.
Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, has spoken publicly about the importance of in-person collaboration to make successes like these happen. To encourage workplace collaboration, he’s spearheaded initiatives such as providing free lunch to employees to encourage spontaneous collaboration. “I can recall several times, when I was working at Google early on, being in cafes, meeting someone else, talking, getting excited about something,” says Pichai. “It sparks creativity, it creates a community, and I think the benefit that comes out of it far dwarfs the cost associated with it.”
Learn more about encouraging collaboration in this guide to collaborative working.
Collaboration Between Designers and Engineers Example
Designers and engineers often have to collaborate to make products that are both functional and aesthetic. At Uber Eats, designers and engineers work together closely through the entire product development process, from the early ideation stages through launch. Key factors in the company’s success include using collaborative tools and having regular check-ins.
In a 2021 live stream with Uber Eats Product Designer and YouTuber Femke and Software Engineer Faraz Ahmad, the two discuss the ways that design and engineering teams at Uber overcome common challenges of collaboration. For example, Femke explains that as a designer, she doesn’t always have the expertise to know what requests are and aren’t feasible. “As a designer, I don't have the technical knowledge that you have about how we build products,” she says, “so I really like to kick off early and have a conversation with engineers.”
On the other hand, engineers might be too inflexible when designers give them infeasible requests. “My approach is to not always say, ‘No, we're not going to do this,’” says Ahmad. “It’s to try to find some middle ground….I use the word MVP, minimum viable product. What is the minimum version of this that you would be satisfied with that we can get? Then we can maybe pull the scope back a little bit and still get this idea out there…Let's do an MVP version of it. Let's test it.”
Source: Uber Newsroom
This collaborative, compromise-driven culture has been central to Uber’s rise as an innovation leader. Functional, user-focused features such as dietary filters, smart curation, and multistore bundling have helped transform the ride-hailing company into a major player in the food delivery industry.
Femke’s main takeaway from her conversation with Ahmad is that good collaboration leads to good results: “The better the collaboration, the better the design — and ultimately the final product — will be.”
Learn more about how working together can help your teams in this guide to the benefits of collaboration.
Real-Life Examples of Successful Workplace Collaboration
From big companies such as Comcast and Twilio to smaller ones such as Online Optimism, workplace collaboration helps drive new ideas, boost productivity, and build a positive work culture. These real-life examples show how companies use teamwork to reach common goals and create stronger, more effective teams.
Uniting Siloed Teams Through Workplace Collaboration Example
At Comcast, two internal communications teams that used to work in silos came together to make their work easier and avoid redundancy. This workplace collaboration was a success: With a shared intake process, the teams improved teamwork and made it simpler to track progress.
Monique Odom-Stearn, Business Process Excellence Manager at Comcast, shares her experience spearheading this collaboration. “Two of our own internal communications teams were communicating to different audiences, but often about the same thing,” Odom-Stearn says. “We found that a lot of the work that they were doing was overlapping or sometimes even duplicative.”
The solution to this problem was simple: “All we did was create a shared intake process for the two of them within Smartsheet,” she says. “How they each do their work is a little bit different. They have their own internal processes. But we now have a shared intake form that feeds into an intake sheet that gives the information that they need.”
Here is an image of the intake form dashboard, which includes helpful sections for tracking project requests:
One of the teams previously managed work intake entirely through email, but with a new standardized process, they not only save time but also gain visibility into both teams’ work. “They're actually finding that unlike before — where they were all doing their separate stuff and occasionally talking — now the vast majority of the work that they do requires both teams,” says Odom-Stearn. “It has actually decreased some of the workload because they're able to identify the types of work that people were submitting to both teams that are actually the same project.”
Here is another screenshot of the intake dashboard, which includes task assignments, a color-coded calendar for tracking deadlines, and quick links for easy access to resources:
Odom-Stearn has seen a transformative impact on the team. They’ve begun to rethink their entire work structure and discovered new ways to collaborate that she believes will continue to improve their workflow down the road. “They've started talking about completely changing their work structure because they're learning so much of what they do requires collaboration,” she says. “They may simply change how they think about and work on these projects for a better flow instead of assigning it to different people and going back and forth, which is how it had been in the past.”
Improve teamwork at your organization with this collaborative teamwork guide.
Example of Bridging Client Onboarding Gaps With Workplace Collaboration
Another example of a workplace collaboration happened at Online Optimism, a small digital agency. The accounts, creative, and sales teams worked together to improve their client onboarding process through what they call post-initium meetings, where the team ensures that the services promised by the sales team are aligned with client needs.
Flynn Zaiger, CEO of Online Optimism, explains how this example of collaboration came about. “We encourage innovation across all departments by incentivizing employees to develop creative processes,” he explains. “As CEO, I led this project. It's important to note, though, that I was not the inspiration for the project; this came from our encouragement — and literal bonus payments to employees — to find these opportunities for improvement.”
The collaboration between the three teams proved to be a tangible success. “The post-initium meetings have improved our client satisfaction rates, retention, and most importantly, our bottom line,” Zaiger says. “By bringing together insights from sales, creative, and account management early in the client relationship, we've been able to ensure better alignment between sold services from our business development team and client needs; identify and address potential issues proactively rather than waiting for a client to bring them up; and streamline our onboarding process.”
Zaiger adds that within the first six months of implementation, Online Optimism saw an 8 percent increase in client retention.
Example of Workplace Collaboration for Organizational Transformation
At Twilio, a massive end-to-end transformation program united more than 100 team members across sales, finance, product, and technology functions. This collaborative effort has included more than 50 deep-dive sessions and mapping out hundreds of potential improvements to enhance revenue, speed up processes, and improve customer service.
Sidharth Ramsinghaney, Director of Strategy and Operations at Twilio, describes this collaboration in detail: “I am leading a large transformation program that goes end to end from opportunity to revenue, bringing together more than 100 team members across sales, finance, product, and technology,” he says. “We are at a juncture where customer behaviors are evolving, and we are at the forefront of leveraging AI to drive personalization at scale. This transformation program is focused on enabling our teams to drive to that mission in a much more agile way.”
This initiative is a powerful example of collaboration across functions, with Twilio’s teams working closely to align goals and streamline efforts toward a common mission.
Ramsinghaney emphasizes the importance of uniting diverse perspectives in this process: “I've brought together leaders from every customer-facing and operational function, from sales and product teams who understand customer needs, to finance and engineering who are looking at our core systems and processes, to operations experts who ensure we can scale efficiently.”
One of the most important takeaways, he notes, is the need to build strong connections throughout the process. “Invest heavily in stakeholder engagement and communication,” he recommends.
Find other tips in this article on improving workplace collaboration.
Business Partnership Case Study: Shared Data Access in Workplace Collaboration Example
Successful partnerships before multiple companies often depend on how equally both sides can access and use shared information. In the following case study, researchers found that balanced access to information and aligned motivations are key factors that can make or break collaborative efforts.
In a 2021 study for the Journal of Management Studies, researchers reviewed 13 real-world business partnerships and found that when two companies both use big data tools to learn from each other, it can go two ways. If they both have equal access to the data and can analyze it together, they tend to work more cooperatively. However, if one company has more access or control over the data, the companies can become competitive, as each tries to get the most out of the partnership.
The researchers focused on understanding collaborative dynamics, or whether a collaboration is cooperative or competitive. To study this, they looked at two main factors: trust and common goals. Higher trust and shared goals between the companies generally lead to more cooperation, while lower trust and different goals led to competitive dynamics, which they illustrated in the following graphic:
Source: Online Library
Another important area the researchers explored is big data technology design and motivation for using the technology. Big data technology design is split into two parts: transparency, how equally both companies can access data, and analytical processing capability, how equally both companies can analyze data.
When both partners have equal access to data (symmetric transparency) and can analyze it together (shared capability), they’re more likely to work cooperatively. However, if one partner has more control over the data or analysis, it can create an imbalance that may lead to competition.
Together, these factors determine whether the companies will work smoothly together or if tensions will arise.
Technology-Based Examples of Workplace Collaboration
Technology-driven collaboration in the workplace accelerates innovation, as teams across departments integrate their unique insights to push boundaries. For example, the collaboration between NASA and SpaceX is driving progress in space exploration, while the partnership between Apple and IBM in mobile technology shows how collaboration can produce tailored solutions across industries.
Public-Private Workplace Collaboration Example
Beginning in 2006, NASA and SpaceX started working together on space travel projects. Their partnership shows how working together can speed up technology advancements. SpaceX benefits from NASA’s experience, skills, and testing sites, while NASA gets a low-cost, reliable way to send cargo and people into space via SpaceX.
By working with commercial partners such as SpaceX, NASA has helped develop innovative launch systems and spacecrafts, including the SpaceX Falcon 9 and the SpaceX Dragon, which are being used to take American astronauts into orbit.
Source: NASA
NASA provides expertise, resources, infrastructure, and a credibility boost to SpaceX, while receiving access to private sector innovation and reduced costs. This collaboration frees up NASA’s budget so they can focus on safety regulations.
According to the BBC, the partnership with SpaceX in particular has saved NASA an estimated $40 billion on a recent crewed mission.
Example of Driving Mobile Innovation Through Collaboration
Another example of tech-driven collaboration is the partnership between Apple and IBM. In 2014, Apple combined its user-friendly mobile devices with IBM’s enterprise software and data analytics capabilities. This collaboration enabled the development of mobile solutions for enterprise needs that continue to shape global industries such as healthcare.
According to TechCrunch’s 2014 coverage of the partnership, the intention of this collaboration was for Apple to expand its reach in the enterprise market while IBM leveraged Apple’s mobile ecosystem to provide secure, tailored tools that would meet business needs on a large scale.
Three years later, Healthcare IT News reviewed progress and found that the collaboration had resulted in more than 100 enterprise apps, including six focused on healthcare, such as Hospital Lead and Hospital RN. These apps support care coordination, task prioritization, and HIPAA-compliant messaging for medical staff. Beyond these commercial apps, IBM also collaborates with hospitals to create custom iOS apps tailored to specific needs. These apps leverage IBM Watson’s cognitive capabilities to drive digital transformation.
The partnership shows how evolving tech — such as the increased power of mobile computing — can drive success through tailored, collaborative solutions.
Examples of AI and Human Collaboration
With new and improving AI tools entering the market every day, employees are finding creative ways to collaborate with these technologies. Virtual assistants can help manage schedules, set reminders, and organize meetings. Teams use chatbots to streamline simple customer inquiries in fields such as marketing and customer service.
Employees — especially young employees — have already been embracing these technologies en masse. According to a study by TalentLMS, 46 percent of Gen Z employees “prefer asking AI about work-related questions rather than their colleagues or managers.”
Below are examples of how companies have embraced human AI collaboration, freeing up employees to focus on more complex or creative tasks.
Example of Streamlined Marketing With AI
The digital bank Ally has generated buzz with its AI marketing solutions. By developing its proprietary platform, Ally.ai, the company has integrated generative AI with strict security protocols. Built on a private cloud infrastructure, this platform ensures that customer data is securely managed and not used in external training models.
Source: Ally
The results of this collaboration were astounding. According to Peter Adams, Senior Reporter at Marketing Dive, the solution delivered an average of 34 percent time savings on marketing tasks. Ally estimates that this increase in productivity could save nearly 3,000 work hours each year.
AI for Optimizing Collaboration Processes Example
In this example of a human-AI collaboration, WorkDone.AI uses AI to watch workflow patterns, spotting inefficiencies without interrupting employees. It gives managers these insights, allowing workers to focus on creative tasks while AI handles routine improvements. This approach boosts productivity and supports smarter resource use across teams.
Joe Rogers, CEO at WorkDone.AI, has spent decades focusing on automation and AI for Fortune 500 companies. Rogers argues that traditional Agile environments are “high friction” and can be disruptive to workers. “WorkDone basically works in the background to observe processes, and we identify inefficiencies without disrupting anybody,” he says. “We identify inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement, and it's all done without setting foot on site.”
By taking out the disruptive work of reviewing and auditing processes, employees can focus on the work that actually matters. “They get to actually move from tactical ‘keeping the lights on’ to more strategic, high-value work that’s more creative,” says Rogers. “More troubleshooting, more problem-solving, more communicative, better customer experience — it actually allows humans to be more human.”
Rogers digs into a specific example of an inefficiency WorkDone identified without disrupting employee work. “We did an analysis of email patterns, and with this customer, we noticed that about 70 percent of their emails were just among each other on the admin team, and they were asking each other for documents,” he said. “Like, ‘Hey, do you have that certificate of authenticity?’ or ‘Do you have that shipping bill?’ Oh my gosh, these people just need a document management system!”
The team already used a collaborative work management platform, so they simply added all the shared documents to a library within that platform. This cut down on unnecessary email communication because they already had access to the files they needed.
This is a good example of workplace collaboration tools replacing the need for asynchronous communication, which in this case cost the team a lot of time.
The following graphics from a proof of value brochure published on the WorkDone website illustrate the tangible benefits that might come with developing AI tools such as this one.
Source: WorkDone
This example of AI-human collaboration highlights how AI-driven insights can uncover simple solutions to hidden inefficiencies, transforming everyday workflows.
Optimizing Content Creation With AI Example
Essenvia, a company that helps manage regulatory information for medical technology, uses AI to improve their website content. Their employees use AI to track how users engage with content, such as how far they scroll and which links they click, to make it more useful for readers.
Soumya Mahapatra, CEO of Essenvia, has found many creative ways to incorporate AI tools into his workday. “We rely heavily on long-form written content on our website and in our email marketing,” he explains. “Regulatory approval is a fairly dense and technical topic and quite niche, so the content we put out there tends to be relevant to our prospective customers and hard to find elsewhere on the web. We've used AI tools to optimize this content by tracking user behavior. Factors such as scroll depth, which links they follow out of a piece of content, and which related terms they're searching for all help us to optimize this content and plan our next topics.”
In this example of human-AI collaboration, AI tools allow Essenvia to make its material more relevant and accessible to prospective customers. But Mahapatra stresses that AI at Essenvia is there to enhance, not replace, human work. “One thing we haven't done is completely outsource or automate anyone's job in the process of implementing AI,” he says. “Instead, we're treating AI agents as useful tools that can provide valuable insights or help with routine tasks, while still leaving decision-making in human hands.”
Example of AI-Powered Assistants to Improve Collaboration
One way human workers can collaborate with AI is to streamline everyday tasks such as scheduling meetings. For example, at LawnStarter, people use AI tools to manage day-to-day work. Virtual assistants such as Katch help with creating to-do lists, setting appointments, transcribing meetings, and more.
Ryan Farley is the CEO of LawnStarter, which makes it easy to locate and schedule reliable lawn care services. He uses an AI assistant to streamline his scheduling.
“I use Katch as a virtual assistant,” says Farley. “It makes my daily to-do lists, sets up my appointments, blocks out my time for routine tasks, and even creates transcripts of meetings for me.”
Source: GoKatch.ai
In addition, Farley enhances the efficiency of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising efforts with AI. “We use an AI agent to keep track of keyword pricing and performance in PPC advertising, which allows us to be efficient and choosy about our ad buys,” he explains. “I don't actually interact with that one very much for the simple reason that it's so efficient and effective.”
Examples of Workplace Collaboration Failures
Collaboration is important, but poor management can lead to loss of focus or wasted effort. Examples of collaboration failures include too much collaboration that slows productivity, misaligned goals that ruin projects — such as Tropicana’s failed rebranding, detailed below — and harm to your reputation if a partner acts badly.
“There’s never a single project that doesn't have challenges,” says Monique Odom-Stearn at Comcast. “Change management is always one of the biggest. There are always going to be people who are hesitant to change anything.”
To address this, Odom-Stearn emphasizes the importance of having a clear plan with pre-, during, and post-implementation steps, providing team training to ensure understanding, and aligning historically separate teams by consistently reinforcing shared goals and addressing specific struggles to foster unified progress.
Below you’ll find a few more examples of real-world collaboration failures and challenges, as well as what teams can learn from them.
Excessive Collaboration at a Big Insurance Company Example
Collaboration has become increasingly significant within large organizations. Executives often spend up to 70 percent of their time on internal meetings and emails. While collaboration is essential for achieving collective goals, it can also hinder individual productivity and focus time.
Ray Collis, Head of Data and Science at Growth Pitstop, has spent more than a decade helping companies drive successful collaborations. He’s seen firsthand how the amount of time spent on collaboration has increased in recent decades. He explains that this presents two main challenges: finding time for individual, focused work amid constant collaboration, and ensuring that time spent in meetings is truly effective.
“We worked with an organization in the financial services sector last year,’” says Collis. “This manager was regularly complaining about waste-of-time meetings, but he and his team took the initiative and within eight months they had become what the rest of the organization was calling ‘super collaborators.’ They're saying that there's something different when you work with that team. They were beginning to get known in the organization as the best people to work with.”
How did this team manage that transformation? They simply prioritized respecting people’s time. “Encourage people to, at the end of every meeting, leave the last three, four, five minutes for people to reflect,” says Collis. “How well did we meet today? Are we clear on the right result? Did we achieve that? What are we going to take forward to the next meeting? What are we going to leave behind?”
The results were staggering. “That team went from complaining about only 50 percent of their internal collaboration being productive to bringing that figure up to near 80. It just goes to show you the power of small behaviors and conscious awareness.”
In a blog post on the topic, Collis devises a simple test to reveal how and when to collaborate. Using his “More, Better, Faster, and Best” framework, teams can ensure that they’re actually adding value with their collaborative work.
Example of a Marketing Collaboration Failure
One example of a collaboration failure is the 2009 Tropicana packaging redesign by PepsiCo. The project involved collaboration between the design, marketing, and customer research teams. The new packaging alienated loyal customers, caused a steep drop in sales, and ultimately led to a costly reversion to the original design.
The redesign, which replaced the iconic orange-with-straw image with a more modern and minimalist look, backfired when customers didn’t recognize the product on shelves. Despite a significant investment in advertising to support the redesign, the new look alienated loyal customers. According to a post by The Branding Journal, the redesign led to a 20 percent drop in sales within two months, costing Tropicana more than $50 million.
Source: The Branding Journal
The failure stemmed from a disconnect between the goals of the advertising campaign and the functional needs of the packaging. This case underscores the importance of careful, research-backed collaboration between design, marketing, and consumer research teams to ensure that any major brand updates resonate with customers.
You can also learn about best practices for joint promotions in this guide to collaboration marketing.
Example of a Public Collaboration Causing Reputation Damage
Apple’s partnership with Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that manufactures a large amount of its products, became a problem when reports of poor working conditions and human rights issues surfaced. While the partnership initially helped Apple meet global demand, the scandal impacted Apple’s public image and forced the company to take action.
The Fair Labor Association’s investigation into Foxconn revealed significant workplace issues, including excessive working hours and poor health and safety conditions. In response, Foxconn and Apple faced significant reputational damage.
By addressing the problem quickly and thoroughly, Apple was able to mitigate the damage to its brand image and demonstrate its commitment to ethical labor practices. However, other companies can avoid similar mistakes by conducting regular, transparent audits of partner practices, maintaining open channels for employee and stakeholder feedback, and prioritizing collaborations with companies that share your brand’s values.
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