How can building relationships can pave the way for sustainable digital change? In this article, we discuss how to turn colleagues into collaborators and silos into synergetic teams to build a shared vision for your website and improve institutional outcomes.
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From colleagues to collaborators: building relationships for a shared vision

Digital marketing Governance Higher education challenges Tips & advice

You want your university website to deliver a great experience for every user—from prospective students to alumni.

Your university or college may all have the same goal: to create an engaging website that’s easy to use, effective, and delivers exactly what our users are looking for.

But there are many competing factors all vying for attention: internal silos; independent departmental goals; overwhelming multi-channel content; audiences including international students, prospective and current students, parents, faculty, and alumni.

Everyone has different objectives for their section of the website — and various levels of leadership and involvement.

That’s why relationship-building isn’t a soft skill—it’s a strategic necessity for digital success.
If your university or college is struggling with fragmented teams and inconsistent web experiences, you're certainly not alone.

The good news: by fostering relationships and shifting your colleagues into collaborators, you can create a cohesive vision that strengthens your website's impact.

Here’s how you can start breaking down barriers, bridging gaps, and building powerful partnerships across your institution.

Shift the approach

Shifting your organizational structure can mean the difference between “here, do this” and “let’s do this together.”

Digital change isn't just about technology; it's about people.

What you need to create a cohesive environment conducive to bringing out the best ideas is investing in and fostering strong relationships among faculty, staff, and departments.

Understand your stakeholders’ real needs

The first step toward meaningful collaboration is to truly understand your stakeholders: their needs, pain points, and motivations.

Each department will likely have distinct goals, so it’s essential to listen and uncover what's important to them.

Start with open conversations.

Ask about challenges they’re currently facing with the website and how these impact their work. 
For instance, admissions teams might prioritize student recruitment, while alumni relations focus on donor engagement.

By acknowledging these varied priorities, you validate each team's perspective and lay the groundwork for collaborative problem-solving.

Identify common ground

Though departmental goals may differ, there's always common ground—usually centered around the user experience.

Whether it’s improving navigation, content accessibility, or website speed, shared interests exist.

You can bring these overlapping objectives to the forefront during discussions.

And clearly highlighting common goals can really help create alignment, which allows you to transform your role from a "website manager" or “marketing officer” into an "agent of change."

When teams see their priorities reflected in the collective vision, resistance begins to melt away.

Apply proven change management strategies

Even when aligned on goals, structural changes to web governance can be daunting. Leveraging proven change management methodologies can smooth this process.

Tools like stakeholder analysis, impact assessments, and readiness evaluations help teams visualize the journey ahead.

Start small, testing collaborative approaches on specific web projects. 

For example, you could pilot a cross-departmental working group to overhaul content strategy for a key recruitment page.

If you can demonstrate small wins, you can build trust and reinforce that collaboration truly enhances outcomes.

Establish clear, shared governance structures

Creating a cohesive website isn’t a one-time project—it’s an ongoing commitment.

So if you want to have a successful higher education website, you need to have clearly defined governance structures to sustain collaboration long-term.

Where do you start?

Develop governance frameworks detailing roles, decision-making processes, content standards, and workflows.

This clarity removes ambiguity around responsibilities and prevents the website from devolving back into departmental silos.

Regular meetings of cross-departmental web steering groups or advisory committees maintain momentum, ensure accountability, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

Foster collaboration through communication

Effective collaboration hinges on consistent, transparent communication.

We prioritize tools and platforms that encourage dialogue, information-sharing, and feedback across teams, and this works really well for communications across teams.

Whether through internal newsletters, Slack channels, regular briefings, or collaborative platforms like Trello or Notion, communication should be ongoing and multidirectional.

Invite input regularly, celebrate team contributions, and openly acknowledge challenges.

Making everyone feel valued is hard work but it’s critical to promote engagement, and to encourage reluctant stakeholders to become more enthusiastic partners.

Create your toolkit for web success

Having a tangible, accessible toolkit can really empower your teams. 
It can guide collaborative website management from the very start through maintenance.

What does a toolkit look like? Here’s what we feel it should include:

  • Clearly documented web governance models
  • Templates for content creation and review
  • Checklists for accessibility
  • SEO best practices
  • Decision-making guides to address common website issues

Check out what Johns Hopkins University is doing around governance and toolkits in our blog post on the rise of university brand managers.

By providing consistent resources, you reduce friction, streamline workflows, and equip your teams to take ownership of website quality, collectively and individually.

From silos to synergy

When your colleagues become collaborators, the entire institution benefits. Silos dissolve, replaced by synergetic, empowered teams united by a common vision.

Creating an effective, user-centered website in higher education is challenging, but by prioritizing relationships and collaboration, the results will be worth the effort. A website that truly resonates with every user group—students, parents, faculty, and alumni—is within your reach.

Tips for higher education marketers to build a collaborative culture

  • Keep communications open and transparent to increase trust with regular meetings, feedback loops, and collaborative platforms.
  • Share a vision: Empowering individuals to contribute ideas and take ownership of projects fosters a sense of responsibility and engagement for a shared vision across the institution.
  • Engage early and often: Involve stakeholders from the outset to ensure buy-in and diverse perspectives.
  • Leverage technology: Use collaborative tools to enhance communication and project management. Provide training for non-digital natives.
  • Celebrate successes: Recognize and celebrate milestones to maintain momentum and acknowledge the contributions of all team members.

How have you navigated departmental silos to create a shared vision at your institution? Share your experiences and insights—we'd love to hear your story.