Distrust between teams
Distrust between tech and business teams happens when these groups don't communicate well, leading to misunderstandings and slowed project progress.
At one B2B SaaS company, I advised engineering maintained a shadow roadmap they wouldn't share with the product until the day before sprint planning. Product responded by creating fake requirements to "keep engineering busy" because they didn't trust them to prioritize. This "us vs them" mindset spread like cancer—within months, teams spent more energy protecting themselves than serving customers. The result? Beautiful interfaces that couldn't process basic transactions because nobody was talking. When your teams treat each other as enemies, your customers become collateral damage.
The symptoms are everywhere if you know where to look. Secret documents labeled "real requirements" versus "engineering requests." Meetings where teams torpedo each other's proposals by default. as everyone second-guesses the other side. I've seen engineers build exactly what was specified—and nothing more—to piss off product people. I've seen product add pointless tickets to punish engineering for missed deadlines. Stop pretending this is healthy competition—it's organizational suicide.
Here's how you fix it: shared skin in the game. At one startup, we implemented "no feature ships without both teams signing off"—not rubber-stamping, but genuine discussion where both could be wrong. We introduced swap weeks where product managers wrote code and engineers ran customer interviews. Suddenly, empathy replaced animosity. When we prioritized technical debt over new features, product defended the decision to executives instead of blaming engineering. When bugs shipped, engineering apologized and fixed them instead of pointing fingers. Trust returned through shared success and failure, not trust falls and team-building exercises.
Work in-progress
This card is not complete yet. I'm working on a in-depth guide on Distrust between teams. If you want to be notified once it's done, click the button below:
What challenges are linked with Distrust between teams?
I'd put Distrust between teams on your radar and read on, if you're facing these challenges:
The most common issues within the organization. You probably won’t be able to get rid of this, once you have a scale, but you can (and should) try to fight it as hard as possible. Learn more
The most common issues within the organization. You probably won’t be able to get rid of this, once you have a scale, but you can (and should) try to fight it as hard as possible. Learn more
Too many team dependencies can slow progress, as teams must wait for each other to complete tasks before moving forward. Learn more
Too many team dependencies can slow progress, as teams must wait for each other to complete tasks before moving forward. Learn more
Low transparency means people don’t know what product teams are working on, and whether they’re generating impact or not. Learn more
Low transparency means people don’t know what product teams are working on, and whether they’re generating impact or not. Learn more
Failed transformations occur when attempts to adapt or improve a product or process result in setbacks or do not achieve the desired outcomes. Learn more
Failed transformations occur when attempts to adapt or improve a product or process result in setbacks or do not achieve the desired outcomes. Learn more
Low employee motivation occurs when team members lack enthusiasm and drive to effectively contribute to product development efforts. Learn more
Low employee motivation occurs when team members lack enthusiasm and drive to effectively contribute to product development efforts. Learn more
This is a premium card
Unlock more content on Distrust between teams, including guide containing: