You know your functions aren't working together the way they should.
Operations and maintenance are stepping on each other's toes. Engineering and production aren't on the same page. Regional teams and head office are disconnected, and handovers are a source of friction despite people's good intentions.
So, what’s missing? Well, silos rarely form because people don't care. They form because the systems, structures, and habits around them haven't been designed to support collaboration, and we haven’t stopped to consider why.
What if you could pinpoint the problem and develop a sustainable plan to solve it?
Our Collaboration Maturity Improvement Package uses our proprietary Collaboration Maturity Model (CM2TM) to give you a clear picture of where collaboration is breaking down and a practical plan to address it.
We can help you understand:
Plus you'll walk away with a practical strategy, roadmap, and action plan you can start implementing straight away.
This isn't a generic culture initiative. It's a structured, research-based process built on organisational psychology and behavioural science designed to support real change in how your functions collaborate.
How it works
STEP 1 | KICK-OFF
We start by understanding your organisation's context, challenges, and priorities. Together we'll align on scope, identify the key friction points, and set the project up for success.
STEP 2 | DIAGNOSIS
We administer the CM2™ Diagnostic Survey across your identified teams and functions - a short online assessment that measures collaboration maturity. You'll receive a CM2™ Survey Results Report that pinpoints your organisation's strengths and development areas.
STEP 3 | STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT
In a 3-hour Strategy Workshop, your teams come together to explore the survey results, identify the areas that matter most, and reach consensus on the Priority Focus Areas for the next 12 months. The output is a clear Collaboration Maturity Improvement Strategy that's collectively owned.
STEP 4 | ACTION PLANNING
In a second 3-hour Action Planning Workshop, the group translates the strategy into action. You'll leave with a 12-month Roadmap of prioritised and sequenced initiatives and a detailed 3-month Action Plan with clear actions, responsibilities, and timelines. Importantly, through this entire process, you'll also develop shared understanding and commitment to improving collaboration.
STEP 5 | ONGOING SUPPORT
We don't disappear once the plan is in place. Three monthly check-in calls (at 30, 60, and 90 days) keep you on track, help you troubleshoot challenges, and maintain momentum. You'll also have email access for ad-hoc questions throughout the implementation period.
What you'll receive
OPTIONAL ADD-ONS
Depending on your needs, we can also provide:
Who is this for?
This package is designed for functional leaders who know collaboration between their functions isn't where it needs to be and want a structured, practical way to improve cross-functional collaboration.
Whether the friction is between operations and maintenance, engineering and operations, regional and corporate, or any other functions, if you're accountable for making these functions work together effectively, this package will give you the diagnosis, the strategy, and the plan to make a difference.
The CM2™ also works across organisational boundaries. If you're involved in a joint venture, a contractor relationship, or any other situation where teams from different organisations need to collaborate closely, the same structured process applies - and can be just as effective.
Why this matters
Because just telling people to 'collaborate more' isn't a strategy.
When cross-functional collaboration breaks down, the costs add up fast:
Our approach is different. Rather than guessing what's wrong or applying generic solutions, we use a structured, research-based framework to diagnose the real barriers - and then work with your people to build a plan that supports your goals.
The framework behind the fix:
The Collaboration Maturity Model (CM2™)
The CM2™ isn't a generic checklist. It's a proprietary framework built on the foundations of organisational psychology and behavioural science - specifically, pioneering Social Psychologist Kurt Lewin's behavioural equation: B = f(P, E). This means that a person's behaviour is a function of both the person themselves and their environment.
In practice, this means collaboration breaks down for two types of reasons:
Most approaches focus on one or the other. The CM2™ addresses both - giving you a complete picture of what's getting in the way, and a systematic way to improve it.
HUMAN-CENTRED
We recognise that collaboration is fundamentally about people. Our approach puts the human experience at the centre, ensuring the solutions we develop are ones your teams will actually embrace and sustain.
EMPATHY-LED
We invest the time to understand how people experience working across boundaries - the frustrations, the assumptions, the unspoken tensions - so the strategy we build together actually addresses what’s really going on.
DATA-DRIVEN
The CM2™ gives you an objective, evidence-based picture of where collaboration stands - not opinions, not assumptions. Every priority area and every recommendation is grounded in what the data actually shows.
PSYCHOLOGY-BASED
The CM2™ is built on Kurt Lewin's behavioural equation (B = f(P, E)) - the principle that behaviour is a function of both the person and their environment. This means we're addressing both sides of the equation, not just one.
How is this different from a typical team-building exercise?
This isn't about trust falls or personality profiles. It's a structured diagnostic and strategy process that identifies the specific structural, systemic, and cultural barriers to collaboration in your organisation and creates a practical plan to support the team’s collaboration goals.
Can we do this internally?
You could run parts of it internally, but the combination of an external diagnostic tool and independent facilitation tends to surface insights that internal teams miss. People are often more candid when there's an external party involved, and the structured framework ensures nothing important gets overlooked.
How much time will this take from my team?
The survey itself takes 15-20 minutes. The two workshops are 3 hours each. Beyond that, the discovery meeting is 60 minutes. We've designed the process to be intensive where it needs to be and light-touch where it doesn't - so you get meaningful outcomes without months of disruption.
What happens after the 90-day support period?
That's up to you. Some organisations continue with extended check-ins or a 6-month CM2™ re-assessment to track progress. Others build internal capability to sustain the work independently. We're flexible based on what you need.
What's included in the post-package email support?
The email support covers questions and guidance related to implementing the Collaboration Improvement Strategy, Roadmap and Action Plan - things like troubleshooting a specific initiative, thinking through how to handle pushback, or working out how to sequence the next quarter's activities. If you find you need more substantial support beyond that, we're happy to discuss additional arrangements.
Cross-functional friction doesn't resolve itself. But it doesn't have to be a permanent fixture either.
A clear diagnosis, a collectively owned strategy, and a practical plan could make a real difference in how your functions work together.
Carousel Consulting proudly operates on the traditional country of the Jagera, Yuggera, and Ugarapul people and we respectfully pay our respects to Elders past, present, and emerging. Their enduring culture, which has adapted to significant change over thousands of years, inspires us to place the human experience of change at the core of everything we do.