This post is available as a podcast:
Without a winning marketing orchestra there is some tension. Every modern marketing department has felt that tension. You are preparing to launch a flagship digital campaign when…
- Brand team is agonizing over a specific shade of cobalt blue;
- Analytics is refusing to proceed without a cleaner attribution model or the right pixel being installed by I.T. ;
- Sales is demanding a giant, conversion-heavy “Buy Now” banner;
- Compliance is shaking their head at the promotional copy;
- Marketing is frantically spinning up new social variants;
- I.T. is warning that a new pixel will compromise site load speeds;
- Communications is meticulously rewriting the press release to mitigate risk;
- Social Media manager is begging for more time to complete the social media listening analysis (that’s me haha)
It feels like a battleground. But according to organizational psychology, this friction isn’t a sign of failure, it is the raw material of a high-performing campaign believe it or not!
The Psychology Behind the Friction
To understand why these departments clash, we must look at their core behavioral profiles under frameworks like the DISC Assessment and the Big Five Personality Traits (OCEAN):
| Role | DISC Profile | Big Five Trait Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 📊 Analytics | High Conscientiousness (C) | Low Extraversion, High Conscientiousness |
| 🎨 Brand | High Influence (I) | High Openness to Experience |
| 💼 Sales | High Dominance (D) | High Extraversion, Low Agreeableness |
| ⚖️ Compliance | High Conscientiousness (C) | High Conscientiousness, Low Openness |
| 📣 Marketing | High Influence/Dominance (ID) | High Openness, High Extraversion |
| 💻 IT | High Conscientiousness (C) | High Conscientiousness, Low Extraversion |
| 🎙️ Communications | High Influence/Stability (IS) | High Agreeableness, High Extraversion |
| 📱 Social Media | High Influence (I) | High Openness, High Extraversion |
Because of these deeply rooted psychological orientations, friction is inevitable:
- The Creative vs. Structured Clash: High Openness types (Brand, Marketing, Social Media) crave novelty, speed, and aesthetic risk-taking, while High Conscientiousness types (Analytics, IT, Compliance) seek predictability, safety, and empirical proof.
- The Velocity vs. Security Clash: High Dominance and High Influence types (Sales, Social Media) prioritize speed-to-market, cultural relevance, and immediate conversion, while High Conscientiousness/Stability types (IT, Compliance) prioritize security, compliance, and architectural integrity.
However, when the mix of people and roles is just right, the results are often successful and rewarding. I have been in many such teams during my time at Philips.
The Proof: Why Marketing Orchestra Alignment Pays Off
While these teams naturally pull in different directions, forcing them into silos is a financial disaster. Seen that many times.
Organizations that successfully break down these functional silos and drive tight cross-functional collaboration achieve up to 19% faster growth in annual revenue and 15% higher profitability than their competitors” – According to research by McKinsey & Company,
Now that is worth having 😉
Furthermore, a study by Gartner revealed that highly collaborative, cross-functional digital teams are twice as likely to meet or exceed their business outcomes compared to teams operating in traditional departmental silos. When IT security, brand equity, social engagement, and data precision are integrated from day one, campaigns avoid costly late-stage reworks, viral PR blunders, or technological bottlenecks. Read more about what Gartner has to say about “Fusion teams”
Key Takeaway: Orchestrating the Symphony
- Analytics keeps us honest.
- Brand keeps us memorable.
- Sales keeps us funded.
- Compliance keeps us safe.
- Marketing keeps us growing.
- IT keeps us functional.
- Communications keeps us respected.
- Social Media keeps us relevant.
True alignment is not about erasing these personality differences; it’s about orchestrating them. I have been in awarding winning marketing orchestra teams that have operated so well together it felt so natural and I could not wait for our team meetings and next assignments.
When I was at the forefront of working out how to start social media marketing at Philips I set up a cross functional team that met every month and we created the first policies and guidance. Everyone of these roles was represented and we often created sub teams to work on items like I recall the first ever staff social media policy for Philips. I did the same when I moved from central Philips to Philips Healthcare, same approach, even though we had off label and FDA hurdles to deal with.
Same is true for creating in house social media teams.
I see it like this:
When these eight unique profiles stop fighting for solo performances and start playing from the same sheet music, your organization doesn’t just launch a campaign, it conducts a masterpiece. I have experienced the synergy several times, and indeed, it is a masterpiece!
- The Ultimate Marketing Orchestra: Why Friction is Your Campaign’s Secret Weapon - July 9, 2026
- Social Media Engagement – Which Platforms Perform Best? - June 14, 2026
- How AI Can Bring Lost Places Back to Life - March 20, 2026