Team Collaboration · Updated · October 2026
25 Team collaboration survey questions with rating scales (2026)
Team collaboration survey questions are rated statements that show how well team members share information, trust each other, own decisions and hand work to other teams. This guide gives 25 of them with a scale on every item, plus how to score, run and act on the survey.
Expert reviewedTasia Wagner · Head of People, BRYTER
Connect on LinkedIn“Good ideas and great solutions often come from tension, debate, and disagreement. Untangling that can be tricky, which is why team collaboration surveys are such an effective tool: they help reduce potential organizational silos and act as an early warning system, showing whether things are going as well as we think and highlighting what we should keep doing.”
How do you run a team collaboration survey?
To run a team collaboration survey, pick 12 to 15 of the 25 questions below across six dimensions: communication, trust and psychological safety, roles and decisions, cross-team handoffs, conflict, and tools and workflow. Put a 5-point agree or frequency scale on every rating item, add two open questions, and keep responses anonymous. Run it twice a year with a quarterly pulse between waves, and compare the manager view with the team view.
What is a team collaboration survey?
A team collaboration survey is a short, anonymous questionnaire that measures how well team members share information, trust each other, own decisions and hand work to other teams. HR or People Ops runs it, team members and leads answer it, and the results show where teamwork breaks down, so leaders fix one specific behavior instead of guessing.
Definition
Team collaboration survey: A recurring, anonymous employee survey that rates observable collaboration behaviors inside a team and across teams, used to find and fix specific breakdowns.
MIT research found a team’s communication patterns predicted its success as strongly as all other factors combined (Harvard Business Review, April 2012; published in 2012, so details may have shifted since). A team collaboration survey scores them by team.
It differs from an employee communication survey, which checks whether company channels reach people. It also differs from team building survey questions, which ask whether one event worked.
Signs you need a team collaboration survey
- Work stalls at handoffs between teams that each say they are fine.
- Remote staff hear decisions late, or second-hand.
- One team keeps coming up in exit interviews or survey comments.
- Meetings multiply while decisions stay open.
of knowledge workers say functional silos get in the way of cross-functional collaboration, and 57% report communication silos between teams.
Communication: below the median, closest to eNPS
- 7.94
- Communication, 0 to 10 scale
- 8.1
- median of 22 drivers
- r = 0.54
- strongest eNPS link
In CultureMonkey’s own benchmark data, Communication sits below the median yet links most to eNPS: % Promoters (9 to 10) minus % Detractors (0 to 6).
Source: CultureMonkey People Science, Employee Engagement Driver Rankings, Q3 2026 edition (updated October 2026), drawn from around 11 million survey responses. How the benchmarks are built.
25 team collaboration survey questions with rating scales
The 25 team collaboration survey questions below are grouped by the six dimensions a collaboration survey measures, plus two open questions. Each item names its answer scale and who should answer it. Pick 12 to 15 for a full survey, or the five that match your weakest dimension for a quarterly pulse, and keep the behavior wording as written.
Use these teamwork survey questions alone or inside an engagement survey, for the main questions about collaboration in the workplace. For other topics, see this guide to employee survey questions.
Communication and information sharing
Q01 Updates before deadlines: Team members share updates that affect my work before the deadline.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam membersQ02 One source of decisions: I can find the latest team decisions in one shared place.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeEveryoneQ03 Owned next steps: Our team meetings end with next steps that each have a named owner.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryoneQ04 Reasons behind decisions: My team lead explains the reasons behind decisions that affect our work.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam membersQ05 Decisions in writing: Teammates who miss a meeting get the key decisions in writing within a day.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryone
Trust and psychological safety
Team-level trust. For a deeper bank, run an employee trust survey.
Q06 Speaking up: I can raise a concern in a team meeting without worrying how it will be received.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeTeam membersQ07 Owning mistakes: Team members admit mistakes early so the team can fix them together.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryoneQ08 Reliable commitments: I can rely on my teammates to deliver what they commit to.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeEveryoneQ09 Voicing disagreement: When I disagree with the team's direction, I say so in the meeting.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam members
Roles, accountability and decisions
Q10 Clear decision rights: I know who makes the final call on decisions that affect shared work.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeTeam membersQ11 Visible responsibilities: My responsibilities on shared projects are clear to the rest of my team.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeTeam membersQ12 Unowned tasks: When a task has no clear owner, someone on the team claims it quickly.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryoneQ13 Action ownership: I give every action agreed in a team meeting a named owner.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam leads
Cross-team collaboration and handoffs
These items read cross-team collaboration; report them by team pair.
Q14 Complete handoffs: When work moves from my team to another department, the handoff includes everything they need.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam membersQ15 Access to information: I can get the information I need from other departments without escalating.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeEveryoneQ16 Shared priorities: My team's priorities match the priorities of the other departments we depend on.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeTeam leadsQ17 Early notice of changes: Other teams tell my team early when their plans change in ways that affect us.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryoneQ18 One owner across teams: Projects shared with another department have one named owner across both teams.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryone
Conflict and problem-solving
Q19 Work-focused disagreement: Disagreements on my team focus on the work instead of the person.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam membersQ20 Timely conflict resolution: Conflicts between team members are resolved before they slow the work down.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyEveryoneQ21 Problem-solving first: When my team hits a problem, team members propose a fix before they escalate it to me.
NeverAlways5-point frequencyTeam leads
Tools and workflow
Q22 Handoff visibility: Our team's tools show clearly when work is ready to hand to the next person.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeEveryoneQ23 Meeting load: I have enough meeting-free time each week to finish my own work.
Strongly disagreeStrongly agree5-point agreeEveryone
Open-ended questions
Q24 Biggest blocker: What gets in the way of working well with your team or with other teams?
Open-endedEveryoneQ25 One change: What one change would most improve how your team works together?
Open-endedEveryone
Download all 25 questions as a PDF
A print-ready collaboration questionnaire: every question with its label, scale and who answers it, grouped by dimension.
How do you compare manager and team answers in a team collaboration survey?
CultureMonkey recommended practice
Compare manager and team answers by asking both groups the same collaboration behavior in mirrored wording, then reading the gap instead of either score alone. A team lead who rates communication well above how the team rates it has a blind spot worth a conversation. The size of the gap, and the dimension it sits in, tells HR where to start.
| Dimension | Team member item | Team lead item | What a gap usually means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | Team members share updates that affect my work before the deadline. | My team members share updates that affect each other's work before the deadline. | The lead hears updates first. |
| Trust and psychological safety | I can raise a concern in a team meeting without worrying how it will be received. | Team members raise concerns in team meetings without worrying how they will be received. | Concerns reach the lead late, if at all. |
| Cross-team handoffs | When work moves from my team to another department, the handoff includes everything they need. | When my team hands work to another department, the handoff includes everything they need. | The process looks complete only from above. |
Gaps between the two views say a lot about team dynamics. Compare only groups above the anonymity minimum, read the biggest gap first, and raise it with the lead as a question.
of US workers who call their workplace somewhat or very toxic report lower psychological safety at work. That group is 15% of US workers, which is why trust items belong in every team collaboration survey.
How do you measure team collaboration with a survey?
To measure team collaboration with a survey, rate each behavior on a 5-point scale, report the score per dimension and per team, and compare it with the same team’s last survey and with the organization score. CultureMonkey reports scores on a 0 to 10 scale by default, so dimensions can be compared without converting units.
A team collaboration assessment scores every team the same way each wave. How to measure collaboration in the workplace with survey data:
- Score each dimension as the average of its items.
- Show percent favorable, the share of 4 and 5 answers.
- Report per team and per cross-team pair.
- Compare with the last survey and the organization score.
The same rules help you interpret employee engagement survey results.
What is a good team collaboration survey score?
| Band | First move | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| 8.0 and aboveTeam strength | Share what works with teams that score lower. | HRBP |
| Above 7.0, below 8.0Watch | Use open-text themes to pick one behavior to improve. | Team lead |
| 7.0 and belowFocus area | Agree one action and re-pulse in a quarter. | Team lead with HRBP |
Bands as defined in the CultureMonkey Help Center.
A good team collaboration survey score beats the same team’s last survey and sits near or above the organization score on that dimension.
“You can go from very high level numbers and analysis at company level, but it can also give you very granular data, always with 100% anonymity and the thresholds. It helps us to contextualize and localize the sentiment.”
- 63managers working their own team results
- 6countries in one survey cycle
How many questions should a team collaboration survey have, and how often should you run it?
A full team collaboration survey works best with 12 to 15 questions that take five to seven minutes, and a quarterly pulse needs five or six on the dimension a team is fixing. Run the full survey twice a year, pulse every quarter, and add a round after a reorganization or merger, so each team can show a change between waves.
| Survey type | Questions | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Full collaboration survey | 12 to 15 | HRBP |
| Quarterly pulse | 5 to 6 | HRBP |
| New or merged team check-in (first 60 to 90 days) | 6 to 8 | Team lead |
How often should you run a team collaboration survey?
| Trigger | When | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| Full survey | Twice a year | People Ops |
| Pulse | Every quarter | HRBP |
| Reorganization or merger | 6 to 8 weeks after the change | HRBP |
| New cross-team process | After one full cycle of the process | Process owner |
Between waves, a short pulse survey on one dimension keeps the trend visible.
How do you run a team collaboration survey in 6 steps?
To run a team collaboration survey, set one goal, pick 12 to 15 questions, map every employee to a team and team lead, launch on the channels people already use, report by team once each group clears the anonymity minimum, and agree one action per team within two weeks. HR owns the process, and team leads own the actions that follow.
CultureMonkey recommendation
Set one goal and the scope
Under 100 people, report by team; above 2,000, by business unit.
Pick 12 to 15 questions and fix the scales
Cover every dimension and lock the wording.
Map every employee to a team and a team lead
Reporting lines come from a CSV import or an HRIS sync.
Launch and remind
Email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp or SMS; a QR code for teams without work email.
Report by team and dimension
Only groups at or above the anonymity minimum: never below 3 responses, often 5.
Share results and agree one action per team
Pick one dimension, an owner and a date for one change.
Log each team’s change through action planning. Then see how to increase collaboration between teams.
“CultureMonkey’s platform gave us a venue to do that, as well as for utilizing some AI knowledge within the platform to suggest some action plans that may work for them. And that was very helpful to us so that we were not trying to reinvent the wheel for our managers.”
- 86%survey participation rate
- 73.9%workforce highly engaged
- 18%regional engagement gap surfaced
5 tips for writing team collaboration survey questions
Good team collaboration survey questions describe one observable behavior, carry a rating scale, and can be answered by the person being asked. Ask how often teammates share updates before a deadline rather than whether collaboration is effective. The five rules below decide what the data can tell you, which matters more than polishing each word.
Put a scale on every rating item
- Ask
- Team members share updates that affect my work before the deadline. (Never to Always)
Describe one observable behavior
- Ask
- How often do team members share ideas in brainstorming?
One idea per item
- Ask
- Our team meetings end with next steps that each have a named owner.
Ask each group only what it can see
- Ask
- My team lead explains the reasons behind decisions that affect our work.
Pilot with 5 to 8 people from different teams
- Ask
- Pilot readers flag any word they would read differently.
What goes wrong with team collaboration surveys, and how do you fix it?
Team collaboration surveys usually fail for six reasons: they ask everyone every question, mix live and asynchronous work in one item, report groups too small to stay anonymous, run without a plan to act, show only a company average, and run too long. Each problem has a simple fix, listed below with the person who owns it.
- Everyone gets every questionFix: Send each group only its own items.HR
- Live and asynchronous work mixed in one itemFix: Split them into separate items.HR
- Too longFix: Keep a full survey to 12 to 15 items.HR
- No plan to actFix: Set the share date before launch.HRBP
- Groups too small to stay anonymousFix: Roll small groups up to the department.People Ops
- Only a company averageFix: Report by team and by cross-team pair.HR analytics
If your tool cannot report by team or protect small groups, compare employee engagement survey tools.
· S03 E04“how do you work with someone that’s in a completely different time zone that you’ll never see? How do you build rapport with them? And at the core of it, it really is identifying what’s the best way to communicate.”
Conclusion
Team collaboration survey questions are rated statements that show how well people share information, trust each other, own decisions and hand work across teams. They turn a vague worry into behaviors a team lead can change.
This guide covered the 25 questions, the manager versus team view, scoring, length and cadence, six steps, writing tips and common mistakes.
CultureMonkey helps you run, read and act on team collaboration surveys with anonymity thresholds that cannot be switched off, team-level reporting, heatmaps, AI-read comments and action plans with owners.
Frequently asked questions about team collaboration surveys
What are the four types of collaboration?
The four types of collaboration sit on two axes: synchronous or asynchronous, which is about timing, and internal or external, which is about who takes part. Live work happens in calls and rooms, async work in shared docs and threads. A collaboration survey should ask about live and asynchronous work in separate items.
Why does a team collaboration survey matter?
A team collaboration survey matters because collaboration problems surface late, as missed deadlines and rework. Scoring communication, trust, roles and handoffs by team shows where work breaks down while the fix is still small, and gives each team lead one specific behavior to change instead of a general sense that teamwork is slipping.
What is the difference between teamwork and collaboration?
Teamwork is a defined team with set roles working toward a shared goal, such as a sales pod chasing a quarterly target. Collaboration is people, often from different teams, working on a shared outcome or decision. A team collaboration survey measures the behaviors behind both, inside one team and across teams, so it covers both.
Is there a free team collaboration survey template?
Yes. These 25 questions form a free team collaboration survey template. Download the PDF for the entire set, or Copy set for one group, after testing each scale on this page. Add them as custom questions in your survey platform, keep every scale label exactly as written, and select 12 to 15 questions for a comprehensive survey.
Should a team collaboration survey be anonymous?
Yes, a team collaboration survey should be anonymous, because the answers describe colleagues people work with every day. Report only groups above the anonymity minimum, and say before launch who sees what and how small teams are rolled up. These anonymous survey questions show wording that keeps answers safe and still specific enough to act on.
See where collaboration breaks down in your teams
Run a team collaboration survey with anonymity thresholds, team-level reporting and tracked actions.
Sources
- Miro, 2025 Momentum at Work Report (survey of 6,148 knowledge workers in eight markets), September 2025
- American Psychological Association, 2024 Work in America Survey: Psychological Safety in the Changing Workplace, 2024
- Alex Pentland, The New Science of Building Great Teams, Harvard Business Review, April 2012
- CultureMonkey People Science, Employee Engagement Driver Rankings, Q3 2026 edition
- CultureMonkey Help Center, View your team's strengths and focus areas