Eighty-four percent of marketing leaders and employees report experiencing high levels of ‘collaboration drag’ when working with other functions, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc. Collaboration drag occurs when marketing teams experience too many meetings, too much feedback from colleagues and unclear decision-making authority when working cross-functionally.

A Gartner survey of 329 marketing leaders and 78 leaders from other functions between July and August of 2023 also found that organizations with high levels of collaboration drag are 37% less likely to achieve their revenue goals. During a presentation at the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo in London, Kristina La-Rocca Cerrone, Senior Director, Advisory, in the Gartner Marketing Practice, explored how CMOs are under pressure to drive cross-functional collaboration, often at the expense of marketing’s priorities.

“Marketing leaders are under pressure to work on an ever-growing number of cross-functional projects,” said LaRocca-Cerrone. “Collaboration drag leads to an overall sense of frustration within the marketing function, creating unnecessary extra work and leading to employee burnout. But it’s not just employees it harms: it’s also hurting commercial performance.”

Enterprise Alignment is Insufficient, CMOs Must Invest in Talent

Marketing employees who experience high collaboration drag are 15 times more likely to feel burned out and nine times more likely to plan to leave the company in the next year.

By investing in and developing marketing talent, CMOs can reduce collaboration drag by 23%. CMOs should prioritize developing their teams’ interpersonal influence, critical thinking, technical skills, and using on-the-job learning programs to unlock practical mastery.

“Resolving collaboration drag by improving executive alignment won’t work, because changes at the leadership level don’t impact how work gets done at the team level,” said LaRocca-Cerrone. “Developing marketing talent will help marketers build the skills they need to thrive in complex decision-making environments. CMOs must focus in on specific skills and create learning environments that cement new skills and encourage development.”

Drive Intentional Culture Change to Reduce ‘Nice-To-Have’ Collaboration

CMOs should improve marketing workflows and change management to ease the burden on their teams. Marketing leaders should clarify where the team’s responsibilities for certain projects start and end, empower their team to say “no” to low-priority collaborative work and prioritize their team’s participation in areas where marketing can drive the greatest impact.

“Collaboration drag cannot be solved by changing how other functions work,” said LaRocca-Cerrone. “Developing marketing’s talent and processes will equip the function to thrive in inherently difficult cross-functional environments.”

Gartner clients can learn more in the report: “CMOs: How to Succeed at Cross-Functional Collaboration for Growth.” More information can be found in the associated webinar and eBook.

About the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo

The Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo is taking place May 13-14 in London and June 3-5 in Denver, providing marketing leaders with actionable advice about the trends, tools and emerging technologies they need to deliver business results. Follow news and updates coming out of the conference on the Gartner Newsroom and on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerMKTG.

About Gartner for Marketers

Gartner for Marketers provides the objective, expert advice, and proven tools that CMOs and other marketing leaders need to seize the right opportunities with clarity and confidence, and to stay ahead of the trends that matter. With in-depth research and analysis, Gartner for Marketers helps you focus on the opportunities with the greatest potential to deliver results. More information on Gartner for Marketers is available online at www.gartner.com/marketing. Follow news and updates from the Gartner Marketing practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerMKTG. Members of the media can find additional information and insights in the Gartner Marketing Newsroom.