Most leaders believe that companywide collaboration is essential for successful strategy execution. Yet while some collaborative efforts achieve spectacular synergies, many actually backfire -- wasting time, money and resources. Why does this happen, and how can you avoid it?

Morten T. Hansen argues that leaders sabotage themselves by promoting more collaboration in their organization. In their eagerness to get people to tear down silos and work in cross-unit teams, leaders often forget that the goal of collaboration is not collaboration itself, but results. Leaders need to think differently, focusing on what Hansen calls disciplined collaboration.