The problem isn’t that they’re not working together. It’s that they’re no longer together.
- Jun 27
- 5 min read
What broke after the pandemic wasn’t just routine. It was relationships.
After the pandemic, we talked a lot about remote work.
About productivity.
About flexibility.
About efficiency.
But we haven’t really talked about what fell apart. About what we lost.
We lost connection. The invisible threads between people broke.
Coffee breaks. Little jokes. Moments with no agenda.
All those informal spaces where people, without even realizing it, were building trust.
A shared rhythm. A sense of safety.
People came back to the office but something was different.
They’re at the same table, but they’re no longer on the same team.
Behind team conflicts, it’s not about competence. It’s about trust.
In many organizations, tensions between departments are no longer rare.
They’re not just the occasional spark.
They’ve become part of the landscape.
Ongoing. Built into the system.
People “tolerate each other professionally,”
But real collaboration? That’s rare.
And honest conversations? Even rarer.
When every team lives in its own world, no one sees the whole picture
Sales says, “They just make slides. We’re the ones bringing in the money.”
And complains that marketing “doesn’t deliver good leads.”
Marketing thinks sales “don’t know how to sell” and rolls their eyes at the very mention of “sales.”
The tech team is frustrated that promises made can’t be delivered.
Finance always feels like the last to be called, but the first to be blamed and grits their teeth every time a “creative” campaign comes their way.
It’s not new. But it’s gotten worse.
And it’s not just a communication issue.
It’s something we’re seeing more and more clearly: organizational silos.
Each team works inside its own bubble.
With its own goals.
Its own numbers.
Its own KPIs.
Its own fears and pressures.
They feel like they’re competing.
Always on the defensive.
“We did our part. The problem’s on their side.”
And from here, isolation sets in: organizational compartmentalization.
Each department becomes a tower.
Thick walls. Tiny windows.
Relationships aren’t a luxury. They’re what hold everything together.
Why?
Teams don’t work poorly because people are bad.
They work poorly because they don’t know each other.
They haven’t built relationships.
They don’t know how the other thinks.
What hurts them.
What motivates them.
Because that invisible fabric between people is gone.
Trust.
Familiarity.
The space where you can say something and not be misunderstood.
And there’s nowhere left to rebuild it.
People aren’t just job titles in an org chart.
They’re social beings.
They need to feel part of something.
A group. A team.
In an increasingly digital world, the need for real connection is more vital than ever.
And a healthy culture is the place where a person isn’t reduced to a role but recognized as a human being.
Culture beats any strategy, especially when things get hard
Peter Drucker once said: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
And that’s exactly what happens. Every day.
We’ve got strategies.
We’ve got processes.
We’ve got methodologies.
But when people don’t trust each other, everything gets stuck.
Psychological safety is the air that collaboration breathes
Collaboration doesn’t start with procedures.
It starts with psychological safety.
A space where people can speak up, ask questions, make mistakes without fear of being punished.
In organizations where people are afraid to speak their minds, the truth stops moving.
And where the truth doesn’t move, decisions are made half-blind.
Team building isn’t about fun. It’s about reconnection.
This is one of the most misunderstood ideas in companies: That team building is a luxury. Just a game. A waste of time.
“I’d rather get that money in my paycheck.”
“You really see us playing games in the forest when we’ve got deadlines?”
But team building isn’t about playing.
The activity doesn’t matter.
What matters is what it creates: Connection. Trust. Context. Space.
It’s that moment when the person from Finance realizes the Marketing guy isn’t just “the one who spends money.” He’s a father of two, working just as hard.
It’s about spaces where people can talk differently than they do in meetings.
About how one lunch outside the office can solve what 100 emails couldn’t.
Gallup says it clearly. Organizations with a strong culture have:
2x more engaged employees
27% higher retention
Up to 33% more revenue
Culture isn’t something you declare. It’s something you practice.
The problem is, in many organizations, culture isn’t treated like a living system.
It’s treated like an HR slide.
People talk about “values” but don’t actually live them.
They hang up mission and vision banners, but don’t support the behaviors that reflect them.
But culture doesn’t install with a PowerPoint.
It’s not a slogan stuck on a wall.
It’s built — day by day — through small actions.
How you talk to your colleague. How you handle a mistake.
How you respond to an idea that’s not yours.
And when a leader suggests a team event or a collaboration program, the reactions are usually predictable:
“We don’t have time for that right now.”
“No one’s going to show up.”
“It doesn’t directly impact results.”
It’s not expensive to invest in culture. It’s expensive to ignore it.
Sure, culture can seem hard to measure.
But that’s a trap we fall into.
Because you know what costs more than a weekend team event?
A team that doesn’t communicate.
Projects that don’t move forward.
Emails sent in circles.
Resources wasted.
And the frustration that builds up — day after day — in silence.
It’s not just about “how people feel.”
It’s about execution speed. Retention. Innovation. Adaptability.
A strong culture isn’t soft.
It’s invisible infrastructure.
Modern leadership is about space, not control
Modern leadership isn’t just about optimizing processes.
It’s about creating space — where people can connect.
Organizations don’t fall apart because of bad strategy.
They fall apart in silence.
In resentment.
In misalignment.
You can’t ask for collaboration from people who don’t feel safe.
You can’t ask for initiative from teams who don’t know each other.
And you can’t build a healthy culture if you treat relationships as optional.
Connection isn’t a perk. It’s the fuel of a living organization.
Want better collaboration?
Start with connection.
Connect the real people behind the roles.
Create spaces where they can talk in ways they can’t in meetings.
And above all — build trust.
You can’t delegate it.
You can’t enforce it.
But you can build it.
With intention.
With patience.
With real leadership.
Peter Drucker wasn’t wrong. Culture really does eat strategy for breakfast.
But if you invest in it. You’ll see what it means to have a team that moves together, not in pieces.
What about your team?
Have you felt this disconnect after the pandemic?
Write to me.
Or share the article if you feel it puts words to something that hasn’t been said out loud yet.
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