The Blind Spot in Busy Organizations—The Unseen Forces Shaping Performance

In today’s fast-paced work environment, it’s easy for leaders and teams to equate being busy with being productive. The truth is, while we’re occupied with tasks, meetings, and deadlines, we rarely zoom out to assess the broader context in which our work is happening. This constant busy-ness can feel like progress, but it often masks hidden friction that slows down real productivity and leaves potential untapped. It’s like a miner focused on chipping away at the surface, missing the gold hidden deeper in the mountain.

This condition of being consumed by daily operations is normal—it’s the rhythm of many organizations. But it leaves untapped opportunities—the potential to unleash greater efficiency, resilience, and competitive advantage. When we fail to address these hidden friction points, we leave money, innovation, and success on the table.

Yet, much like the unseen gears in a machine, the culture, trust levels, and working dynamics within an organization directly impact how smoothly or painfully work gets done. At the heart of it all? Trust. Trust is often invisible, but it’s always the foundation. When teams trust each other, communication flows freely, collaboration is natural, and friction decreases. But when trust is missing, friction builds, and that friction can quietly sap momentum and morale.

And here’s the challenge: Trust is often spoken about in broad terms, but that very breadth makes it hard to act on. We all agree that trust is important—crucial, even—but what do we mean by it, exactly? Trust in what? Is it a lack of trust in leadership to steer the organization in the right direction? A deficit in trust in the strategy being pursued? Or is it trust among team members—the belief that they’ll support one another and follow through on commitments? Without specificity, we’re left with a concept that’s crucial but hard to tackle directly.

To make trust actionable, we need to look for signs of friction—those small but telling moments where collaboration and communication break down. Friction isn’t just a result of a busy team or a challenging project; it’s often a sign that trust is lacking somewhere. It could be a team that hesitates to bring up concerns because they don’t trust the intentions of their leaders. Or, it could be a department that’s slow to make decisions because they’re unsure about the competency of their peers. Wherever the friction is, that’s where we start digging.

But not all friction is negative. In fact, healthy friction can be a powerful driver of innovation and productivity. It’s the kind of tension that occurs when diverse perspectives come together, when team members challenge each other’s ideas in the spirit of refining and improving outcomes. Healthy friction pushes teams to question assumptions, improve strategies, and ultimately produce higher-quality work. It’s the energy behind lively debates in strategy meetings and the push-and-pull that leads to better solutions.

On the other hand, unhealthy friction has the potential to derail projects, teams, and even entire strategies. It’s what happens when disagreements become personal, when communication breaks down, or when mistrust causes people to withhold information. This kind of friction saps energy, creating a cycle of defensive behaviors, disengagement, and missed deadlines. It leads to a loss of focus and alignment, making it difficult for teams to move forward cohesively.

The difference between these two types of friction often comes down to trust. When trust is present, friction is seen as constructive—a way to push each other toward better solutions. But when trust is absent, even small disagreements can become major roadblocks. This is why Paul Zak’s research on the neuroscience of trust is so relevant: When trust is high, the brain releases oxytocin, fostering collaboration, engagement, and well-being. When trust is low, cortisol (the stress hormone) takes over, leading to heightened tension, defensive behavior, and disengagement.

To unlock the hidden potential within your organization, leaders need to differentiate between healthy and unhealthy friction and address the underlying trust issues that create unproductive tension. By doing so, you can transform friction from a barrier into a catalyst for progress.

Looking ahead: In our next newsletter, we’ll explore how unhealthy friction, driven by low trust, silently sabotages teams, limiting their ability to perform at their best. Stay tuned to uncover how to identify these friction points and reduce their impact.