"Collaboration" is a hot word in the business world, but it may not always be beneficial. Organizations often focus on its benefits without considering the risks, such as reduced focused work time due to increased interactions and meetings, lopsided contributions from team members, top performer burnout, and bottlenecks that stall work. To encourage collaboration while avoiding these pitfalls, organizations can reduce interactions required for collaborative efforts, set boundaries to protect individual time and energy, spread out decision-making to others in the organization, and balance their reward system to praise both individual achievements and teamwork. By understanding these common problems and implementing strategies to prevent them, teams can stay productive and reap the benefits of collaboration.