Best examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews

Strong examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews

Let’s start with what you probably came here for: actual wording you can copy, paste, and customize. These examples of team collaboration feedback are written so they sound like something a real manager or colleague would say in a 2024–2025 performance review.

Positive feedback: Everyday collaboration that keeps teams moving

Here is an example of team collaboration feedback you might give to someone who consistently shows up well for their teammates:

“You consistently share information and updates in our team channels before people have to ask, which keeps everyone aligned and reduces rework. During the Q3 product launch, your habit of posting clear status summaries in Slack and updating the project board helped the team spot blockers early and deliver on time.”

This kind of feedback works because it ties collaboration to a concrete outcome: fewer surprises, fewer delays, smoother delivery.

Another one of the best examples of positive collaboration feedback for annual reviews focuses on responsiveness and reliability:

“When teammates reach out for help, you respond quickly and follow through on your commitments. Several colleagues mentioned that they trust you to jump in when deadlines are tight. Your willingness to stay late during the August release to help QA finish testing made a big difference to the whole team.”

Notice the pattern: specific behaviors, specific time frame, and a clear impact on the team.

Feedback for cross-functional collaboration across teams

Modern work is rarely done in a vacuum. Here’s an example of team collaboration feedback that highlights cross-functional work:

“You’ve built strong working relationships with both the Sales and Customer Success teams. For the new pricing rollout, you set up recurring check-ins, clarified ownership, and made sure feedback from clients was quickly shared with Product. Because of your coordination, we resolved several issues before they reached customers.”

That kind of language shows that collaboration is not just being “friendly” — it’s about creating a bridge between teams.

Another example of cross-functional collaboration feedback:

“You proactively involve Legal and Compliance early in projects instead of waiting until the end for sign-off. This helped us avoid late-stage changes on the data privacy initiative and built trust between departments.”

This style of feedback aligns well with current trends that emphasize systems thinking, shared accountability, and risk reduction.

Remote and hybrid collaboration feedback examples

Remote and hybrid work are no longer experimental; they’re normal. That means your examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews should explicitly call out how people work together across time zones and tools.

Here’s a positive remote collaboration example:

“You make remote collaboration easier by documenting decisions in our shared workspace and summarizing meetings for people who couldn’t attend. During the distributed onboarding project, your clear notes and action lists helped team members in three time zones stay on the same page.”

And here’s another example of feedback that highlights virtual communication skills:

“You’re thoughtful about using the right channel for the message. You move complex discussions from chat to short video calls and then capture outcomes in writing. This habit has reduced misunderstandings on the design team and made it easier for new hires to catch up.”

These are some of the best examples to use in 2024–2025 because they recognize that collaboration now happens as much in tools as in conference rooms.

Feedback on inclusive and psychologically safe collaboration

High-performing teams are not just efficient; they’re also inclusive. Research from organizations like Harvard University and others has highlighted the importance of psychological safety in team performance. Your examples of collaboration feedback can reinforce these behaviors.

Here is an example of team collaboration feedback that centers inclusion:

“You consistently invite quieter team members into the conversation and make space for different viewpoints. During sprint planning, you paused to ask for input from newer engineers, which led to a better estimate and helped them feel more comfortable speaking up.”

Another example focuses on how someone handles disagreement:

“You model respectful disagreement. When you disagreed with the proposed marketing timeline, you clearly explained your concerns, asked questions, and worked with the team to adjust the plan instead of shutting the idea down. This helped maintain trust while still improving the outcome.”

These examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews show that collaboration is not the same as always agreeing—it’s about how people work through differences.

Constructive collaboration feedback: When teamwork needs work

Not every review is glowing, and that’s okay. The goal is to be honest without being harsh. Here’s an example of developmental feedback about collaboration:

“You produce high-quality work, but you often complete tasks independently without updating the team. During the April release, several teammates were unsure of your progress and duplicated parts of your work. For the next cycle, I’d like you to share brief updates in our project channel twice a week so others can coordinate with you.”

This example of feedback names the issue, gives a specific incident, and offers a clear next step.

Another constructive example:

“In cross-functional meetings, you tend to speak only when directly asked, which means your expertise is underused. On the website redesign project, you had valuable insights that only came out in a one-on-one afterward. Going forward, I encourage you to prepare one or two points in advance and share them during the group discussion so the full team can benefit.”

And one more that addresses conflict management:

“When disagreements arise, you sometimes withdraw instead of working through the issue with the team. During the Q2 roadmap debate, this led to confusion about your position and slowed down the decision. Let’s work on using phrases like ‘Here’s my concern’ or ‘Can we explore another option?’ so you stay engaged in the conversation.”

These are realistic examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews that give people something concrete to improve, rather than just saying “be more collaborative.”

Feedback from peers: Lateral collaboration examples

Peer feedback is increasingly common in performance reviews, especially in organizations that use 360-degree evaluations. Here’s an example a colleague might write:

“Working with you on the incident response task force was energizing. You shared credit openly, made sure on-call engineers weren’t blamed for systemic issues, and volunteered to document our new process. I felt heard, and it made me more willing to sign up for future cross-team projects.”

Another peer-focused example of collaboration feedback:

“You’re my go-to person when I’m stuck. You never make me feel bad for asking questions, and you often suggest looping in others who might have context. This has helped me ramp up faster and feel like part of the team.”

These examples include emotional impact—“I felt heard,” “I felt like part of the team”—which can be powerful data points in an annual review.

Leadership and manager collaboration feedback examples

Leaders are judged not only on what they deliver, but on how well they enable collaboration across the team. Here is an example of team collaboration feedback for a manager:

“You create clear structures for collaboration by setting expectations for how we use tools, how often we meet, and how decisions are made. During the customer migration project, your decision to set up a cross-functional working group with a shared dashboard helped us identify risks early and share ownership across teams.”

Another example for a leader who supports psychological safety, a concept supported by research from institutions like Harvard Business School:

“You regularly ask, ‘What am I missing?’ and ‘Who sees this differently?’ which signals that dissent is welcome. This approach encouraged the data team to raise concerns about our forecasting model, and their input led to a more accurate plan.”

And here’s a developmental example for a manager:

“You make decisions quickly, which helps with speed, but you sometimes finalize plans before getting input from key stakeholders. On the regional rollout, this led to last-minute changes after Sales weighed in. For future launches, involving Sales and Support earlier will improve collaboration and reduce rework.”

These examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews show that leaders are evaluated on how they structure, invite, and respond to collaboration—not just how they direct work.

How to write your own collaboration feedback using these examples

You don’t have to memorize every example of team collaboration feedback in this guide. Instead, think of them as templates you can adapt. A simple way to structure your own comments is to follow a three-part pattern:

Behavior → Context → Impact.

For instance, take this sentence:

“You consistently share information and updates in our team channels before people have to ask, which keeps everyone aligned and reduces rework.”

Breakdown:

• Behavior: You consistently share information and updates.
• Context: In our team channels, before people have to ask.
• Impact: Keeps everyone aligned and reduces rework.

You can plug in your own details:

• Behavior: “You invite cross-functional partners to planning sessions…”
• Context: “…for our monthly release planning…”
• Impact: “…which helps us catch dependency issues early and avoid delays.”

This pattern keeps your examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews grounded in reality instead of drifting into vague buzzwords.

If you want to see how other organizations think about teamwork and collaboration, you can look at public resources from universities and government agencies. For example, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management offers guidance on performance management and competencies like teamwork and cooperation (opm.gov). Many universities, such as MIT, also publish materials on effective communication and collaboration skills that can inspire your wording.

FAQ: Team collaboration feedback for annual reviews

Q: What are some simple examples of positive team collaboration feedback I can use right away?
You might say, “You actively share updates and ask clarifying questions, which keeps the team aligned,” or “You regularly recognize others’ contributions in meetings, which boosts morale and encourages more open collaboration.” These short examples of feedback still follow the behavior–impact structure.

Q: Can you give an example of constructive collaboration feedback that isn’t harsh?
Yes. Try something like, “You produce strong individual work, but you sometimes move ahead without checking in, which can cause confusion. Let’s work on giving brief progress updates in our shared channel so others can coordinate with you.” This kind of example of feedback is direct but also offers a clear path forward.

Q: How many examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews should I include in a performance review?
Aim for at least two to three concrete examples per person: one or two positive, and one developmental if needed. Each example should point to a specific project or behavior rather than vague statements like “good team player.”

Q: How do I adapt these examples for different roles, like engineers, nurses, or teachers?
Keep the structure the same and swap in role-specific details. For a nurse, collaboration might focus on handoffs and communication with physicians; for a teacher, it could focus on co-planning lessons and sharing resources. The U.S. Department of Education and similar sites often describe how collaboration looks in education settings, which can help you tailor your examples.

Q: Are there any red flags to avoid when writing collaboration feedback?
Yes. Avoid vague labels like “not a team player” without specific behaviors. Skip personality judgments (“you’re difficult”) and focus on actions and impact (“in meetings, you often interrupt others, which can discourage them from sharing ideas”). And avoid copying examples word-for-word without adjusting them to your actual context—authenticity matters.

When you use real, behavior-based examples of team collaboration feedback examples for annual reviews, you do more than fill space on a form. You show people exactly what good teamwork looks like in your organization—and how they can get better at it.