True collaboration goes beyond workflows and spaces—it’s a way of thinking and responding. Teaming helps public agencies and community partners achieve results that no one could reach on their own.

Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, a leading scholar on the concept of teaming, shares that teams are not static. They form, shift, and reconfigure in response to changing challenges. In The Importance of Teaming, she describes teaming as an ongoing process of learning, adapting, and connecting expertise across boundaries.

Why teaming is harder for local governments

Rigid structures and siloed departments often struggle to keep up in today’s world. For local government agencies, teaming helps you:

• Respond quickly to new community needs
• Adjust to policy and regulatory changes
• Innovate and improve service delivery

The Hidden Brain podcast episode The Secret to Great Teams highlights that success depends less on raw talent and more on creating an environment where people can share ideas and adapt together. Local governments with org charts and more formal chains of command must be intentional about culture if they want to promote teaming.

Building a culture of teaming

One of the biggest barriers to collaboration is fear—fear of mistakes, of challenging authority, or of suggesting new ideas. Edmondson’s research shows that psychological safety is essential for innovation and learning.

In her Harvard Business Review piece, The Three Pillars of a Teaming Culture, Edmondson identifies the values that support a strong teaming culture:

• Curiosity – asking questions and welcoming diverse perspectives
• Passion – bringing energy and persistence to shared projects
• Empathy – understanding community needs and working across differences

When these values are present, teaming is a natural approach to creating effective solutions.

Teaming for greater community impact

Local governments that embrace teaming gain more than smoother internal collaboration. They build the capacity to provide nimble, innovative, and resilient services. By making teaming a daily habit, agencies can:

• Draw on (and build!) staff expertise
• Co-design collaborative, community-centered solutions
• Stay engaged in the face of uncertainty and change

Example

A housing department working to address homelessness can’t succeed in isolation. Through teaming with public health and transportation agencies —sharing expertise, coordinating across silos, and adapting as new information emerges—progress becomes possible.

At its heart, teaming enables local governments to learn, adapt, and deliver lasting results for the communities they serve.

FAQs on Teaming and Government Teamwork Strategies

1. What is the difference between “teamwork” and “teaming” in local government?

Teamwork often implies a stable group of individuals engaged in a consistent workflow together over time. Teaming, by contrast, is a dynamic process—it’s what happens when an hoc group with different expertise and perspectives purposefully collaborate in real time to address a challenge. For municipalities, this flexibility is crucial because challenges often cut across organizational boundaries.

2. Why is psychological safety important in government teams?

Psychological safety is the belief that individuals can share ideas, raise concerns, and take risks without fear of punishment. In a local government setting, where decisions affect public funds and trust as well as careers, psychological safety allows staff to surface problems early, experiment with solutions, and collaborate openly—leading to more effective and innovative outcomes.

3. How can local governments encourage cross-department collaboration?

Practical strategies include creating cross-functional project teams, hosting interdepartmental workshops, and embedding collaboration in local government leadership training. Encouraging leaders to model openness and “learning from failure” also sets the tone. Over time, these practices normalize teaming as part of the organizational culture.

4. What are common obstacles to collaboration in local government?

Barriers include siloed structures, rigid hierarchies, and fear of making mistakes. Limited resources can also discourage public sector collaboration. Overcoming these challenges requires cultural shifts—leaders must promote openness, recognize collaborative successes, and develop organizational structures that make cross-agency teamwork easier.

5. Can teaming help local governments respond to crises?

Yes. In crises—whether natural disasters, public health emergencies, or sudden policy shifts—teaming enables rapid mobilization of expertise. Instead of waiting for top-down direction or support, governments can quickly form agile teams, share information, and adapt solutions as the situation evolves. This responsiveness strengthens resilience and public trust.

6. How does teaming benefit residents directly?

Residents benefit when governments deliver more coordinated, innovative, and responsive services. Whether it’s improving emergency response, expanding access to housing, or streamlining permit processes, government teaming strategies ensure that multiple perspectives are integrated into solutions—resulting in outcomes that better meet community needs.