It’s easy for teams to drift into their own worlds: marketing’s making memes, product’s deep in user flows, and finance just wants everyone to “think of the money!”
It’s no wonder so many wires get crossed when teams come together.
That’s what our cross-team collaboration activities are for. They bring teams together, breaking silos and pushing the whole company onwards and upwards.
Let’s get into it!
What exactly is cross-team collaboration?
At its core, cross-team collaboration means getting different departments to work together instead of staying in their own little bubbles. When teams join forces and collaborate, that’s when the real magic happens: better solutions, faster results, and fewer “wait, who’s doing that?” moments.
These activities go above and beyond task-sharing. They lay the groundwork for real connections between people who don’t usually work side-by-side.
The best part is; when done right, these activities make the company stronger and create an atmosphere that’s simply a lot more fun to work in.
So let’s crack open the can on cross-team collaboration activities.
15 of the best cross-team collaboration activities
Here are 15 of the best activities to forge deep bonds between teams:
1. Department swap day
Sometimes the best way to understand someone’s challenges is to walk a day in their (work) shoes. A department swap lets employees temporarily shadow another team; marketing joins product, sales peeks into support, and so on. A well-thought-out department swap day gives teams insights and helps them better understand the challenges other teams face. It’s also great for sparking a new, fresh idea or two.
This kind of role-reversal helps break down barriers and shows how different teams contribute to shared goals. Sure, you might get a few raised eyebrows, but that’s useful for kickstarting questions like “how come you guys do it this way?” Try this one out to bring different departments closer together.
2. An off-site treat to remember!
When Slack threads and Zoom links aren’t cutting it anymore, it’s time to take collaboration off the grid (to an off-site!). A Surf Office retreat has become the ultimate way to hit refresh and get your teams bonding in deeper ways.
Whether you fancy brainstorming by the beach, problem-solving in the mountains, or simply sharing a proper meal that doesn’t involve screen-sharing, we’ve got you sorted. An off-site gives cross-functional teams the time and space to connect more personally.
Here’s what we offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
- Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
- Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
- Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
- On-site support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Get your departments bonding better than ever before with an unforgettable retreat. Spaces fill up quickly, so get in touch with us today!
3. Cross-functional hackathon
Forget the stereotype of bleary-eyed developers coding for 48 hours straight. This hackathon is for everyone. Designers, marketers, ops, HR, bring them all together for a time-boxed challenge that solves a real company problem from multiple angles.
Set the scene with a shared goal (like improving internal tools or brainstorming new campaign ideas), form mixed-department squads, and let creativity take over. You’ll be amazed at what gets built when diverse perspectives collide in the best possible way. Wrap it all up in a fun way, with a few friendly rewards, and uncover hidden hack talents across your departments.
4. “Explain it like I’m new here” session
Ever overheard someone at the office talking in acronyms and felt like you accidentally wandered into a secret society? This activity fixes that.
Invite team members from different departments to explain what they do, but here’s the catch: they have to present it in the simplest way possible. Use metaphors, visuals, or even roleplay if they’re brave. (We once saw someone compare their job in procurement to being a personal shopper for engineers. It weirdly worked.)
These sessions build collaborative teams through empathy and a few good laughs. Bonus points if someone manages to explain the difference between UX and UI without anyone’s eyes glazing over. It's fun, it’s educational, and it chips away at those classic departmental silos.
5. Cross-team coffee roulette
You never know what brilliant ideas might come from a casual chat over coffee, especially when it's with someone from a totally different department.
Set up a “coffee roulette” where employees are randomly paired with someone outside their usual circle for a 15–30 minute coffee break, either virtually or in person. The goal? No agenda, just conversation. You might pair a marketer with a developer, or a sales exec with someone from finance. The results can be surprisingly insightful.
Add another random element to the mix by giving them samples of extravagant (but anonymous) coffees. Let them guess the type of brew they’re enjoying. Pair this up with some icebreaker questions, and you’re setting the stage for a deeper connection between them.
6. Collaboration quest bingo
Turn teamwork into a game with a cross-functional bingo board. Create a bingo card filled with small, achievable collaboration goals. Use starters like “Have a meeting with a team you’ve never worked with,” “Share a win in the company Slack,” or “Give kudos to someone from another department.”
Participants cross off tasks as they complete them, and anyone who hits bingo (or even better, a full board!) gets a small reward, like a coffee selection or eternal bragging rights. It’s a playful way to nudge teams into trying new things and starting conversations they wouldn’t usually have. Plus, it keeps things light-hearted while boosting connection across silos. A win-win, one square at a time.
7. Speed learning circles
Think of it as speed dating, but instead of awkward small talk, you’re exchanging bite-sized brilliance. Set up a rotation where employees from different departments get 5–10 minutes to explain a tool, tip, or tactic they use daily. After time’s up, they rotate to the next person.
You’ll be surprised how much knowledge is hiding in plain sight. That may be a shortcut in the software you use, a clever CRM trick, or a favourite feedback framework. This one is great for focusing on collaboration over cooperation, and how teams can work together smarter. Stock the circle up with great snacks, too. Learning is always better with snacks.
8. Ideation jam wall
Collaboration doesn’t always start with a meeting in a boardroom. It can start with a wall, not between departments, but shared together. Set up a big, visible “ideation jam wall” in a shared space (or a digital board if you’re remote). Invite cross-team members to scribble ideas, sticky notes, doodles, challenges, or random thoughts on a rotating prompt.
It could be anything from “What’s one customer problem we should solve?” to “If our company hosted a festival, what would the headline act be?” The aim is to encourage playful brainstorming and show that innovation can come from anywhere.
Tie this in with creative workplace activities, and your teams might just discover that their next big idea came from someone they’ve never worked with before.
9. Mystery match projects
Who doesn’t love a good mystery? In this collaboration challenge, team members are randomly paired or grouped across departments and given a mini project or prompt to tackle. For this activity, though, nobody knows who their partners are ahead of time.
It could be solving a fictional workplace dilemma, redesigning an outdated process, or even pitching a wild product idea. Nobody has a clue who they’re working with until the kickoff meeting. It’s a fun way to forge random pairings and potentially uncover unexpected strengths.
To take it a step further, encourage the teams to present their outcomes in a creative format. They might turn it into a skit, a slide deck, or even a mock podcast. There’s a lot of room for interpretation with this one!
10. Culture code collab
Every type of team has its own mini-culture. These are the quirks, values and even its favorite GIFs, so why not bring all these together for a culture swap? For this activity, representatives from different departments come together to share what makes their team tick: communication styles, work habits, in-jokes, and unwritten rules.
The goal? Create a shared “collaboration code” that helps everyone understand how to work better across teams. It doesn’t include using real artifacts, but it’s basically like building a Rosetta Stone of team dynamics. It works great right across the company.
This activity helps teams reflect on shared values and drive towards a smoother workflow. You can pair this activity up with other culture-building activities to really amplify the bonding.
11. One book, many views
Pick a thought-provoking book, article, or podcast episode and bring people from different teams together to discuss it. The main objective for this activity is to allow everyone to bring their own, unique perspective on the book. Everyone’s interpretation will be a little different, and that’s exactly the point. Here are some of the best we use:
- “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer – A deep dive into how people from different cultures communicate and collaborate.
- “Thinking, Fast and Slow” by Daniel Kahneman – A fascinating look at how our brains make decisions (often without us realising it).
- “Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown – Ideal for inspiring vulnerability, courage, and connection at work.
Encourage open dialogue, respectful disagreements, and the occasional “huh, I never thought of it that way.” It's a collaboration, one chapter at a time.
12. Impact together day
Sometimes the best way to bring teams together is to step outside of work entirely. Host an “Impact Together Day” where employees from different departments join forces for a cause. That could be for planting trees, running a charity drive, or helping out at a local shelter. It’s cross-team collaboration with a side of feel-good purpose.
The key is to mix teams that don’t usually work together and give them a chance to bond over something meaningful. You’ll be surprised how quickly hierarchies fade when everyone’s wearing gardening gloves or packing lunches. It’s also a great chance to reflect your company values in the real world and make some wholesome memories along the way.
13. Role rewind roundtable
There is a lot to learn from spending time in someone else’s shoes. With a Role Rewind Roundtable, team members take turns explaining their responsibilities, daily challenges, and wins to colleagues from other departments. It’s a no-pressure, conversational way to kickstart new bonds and develop mutual respect.
You can structure it like a rotating lunch session or a monthly spotlight, where someone shares “a day in the life” of their role. You could even set it up so that people explain past job roles. This kind of knowledge-sharing builds empathy, clears up misconceptions, and helps teams collaborate with more understanding (and fewer email threads).
14. Lunch and learn with leadership
Cross-team collaboration often starts at the top, so give your team a chance to sit down with leadership in an informal, engaging way. A “Lunch and Learn” session with company leaders lets employees hear about broader goals, upcoming projects, or even a few career curveballs and lessons learned.
Keep it light and casual. The goal isn’t to create the kind of atmosphere that feels like a top-down lecture. The emphasis is on a two-way connection. When teams understand the bigger picture and feel heard by leadership, they’re more likely to work cohesively across departments. And who knows? You might just uncover your next great idea between bites of burrito.
15. Joint volunteering day
Helping others is one of the fastest ways to bring people together. A joint volunteering day invites employees from different teams to work side by side for a good cause. Some of the best ideas are the simplest, like organizing a donation or serving meals at a local shelter. As a teambuilding event, this is a powerful activity to bring to the company.
It gets everyone out of their usual work seat and into a shared experience where collaboration is the norm. Plus, doing good feels good, and it strengthens your company’s social impact too. Try pairing people from different departments on the day so new bonds can form while you’re all elbow-deep in teamwork, with a healthy side of muddy boots or paint stains!
