"A business book that reads like fiction."

"A story that teaches you how to collaborate."
Buy the BookRequest the GuidesBook Us to Speak

What the Book Is About

The collaboration illusion: the belief that collaboration is natural and effortless.

In reality,  It isn't. Collaboration is not instinctive. It isn’t automatic. And it almost never “just happens.”


In this book, we reveal why collaboration breaks down and how even the most capable teams get stuck in misalignment, stalled decisions, and conflict.


Through compelling stories and the journey of Tim, a fictional yet deeply familiar leader, you’ll see how good intentions collide with clashing personalities, unclear expectations, and hidden dynamics that silently shape group behavior. But we don't just explaining the why; through fiction-meets-facilitation storytelling, we share six principles and our proven tools that help teams think clearly, communicate honestly, build trust, and navigate conflict with confidence. 

 “The story kept me rooting for Tim the entire time! Refreshing—backed by evidence and paired with clear, actionable strategies. I’ll return to this book throughout my career.” 


 -Executive Higher Education Leader, Arizona State University 

 “This book combines vivid stories, powerful insights, and practical tools to help us design collaboration that actually works.” 


 -Sarah Tracy, PhD, Professor, Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University 

 “Fresh, current, and fun. Packed with helpful guidance and information. The ending is simply beautiful! 


 -Former CMO, Transformational Fellow, The NARBHA Institute 

Book & Guides

Paperback & Kindle

Paperback & Kindle

Paperback & Kindle

  • Kindle (Amazon) 


  • The Book Shop **Fastest shipping


  • IngramSpark **Order directly from our distributor


  • Barnes & Noble 


  • Paperback (Amazon) **Some delays on shipping

Purchase the book

Activity Guide

Paperback & Kindle

Paperback & Kindle

 If you’ve purchased the book, you get access to the digital Activity Guide:  a practical and applicable toolkit featuring all the activities and tools from the book including Guide-to-Me, Ways of Working, Collaboration Assessment, and much more!

Request the Activity Guide

Discussion Guide

Paperback & Kindle

Discussion Guide

 If you’ve purchased the book, you get access to the digital Discussion Guide; a guide for 

for book clubs, teams, and leadership groups that includes chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, reflection prompts, and conversation starters!

Request the Discussion Guide

Want to peek inside before you buy?

 Download the first 14 pages of The Collaboration Illusion and meet Tim, the team, and the collaboration chaos that starts it all. 

Sneak Peek (pdf)

Download

SPEAKING & COLLABORATION SERVICES

Keynote Talk

Keynote + Guided Discussion

Keynote + Guided Discussion

 A dynamic, story-driven keynote introducing the six principles of collaboration, the Tim narrative, and one applied activity focused on how teams can start to work better together. 


Typically 60-90 minutes


 Great for: all-hands meetings, retreats, conferences, and learning days. 


**Discounts available for education, non-profit, and government

Starting at $5,000

Keynote + Guided Discussion

Keynote + Guided Discussion

Keynote + Guided Discussion

 After the keynote, we facilitate an in-depth session with participants where we dive into how collaboration show us in their work,  explore the the six principles,  and engage in some fundament collaboration skills  they can take into their work right away.


Typically 2-4 hours


Perfect for: department retreats, leadership development programs, culture-building initiatives.


**Discounts available for education, non-profit, and government

Starting at $7,000

Keynote + Collaboration Lab

Keynote + Guided Discussion

Keynote + Collaboration Lab

 After the keynote, we engage participants in an applied collaboration lab where we help them surface their current collaboration patterns, learn their ways of working, practice perspective-taking, work through tensions using real examples, and build a simple collaboration plan or charter.


Typically 4-6 hours.
 

Ideal for: teams and leaders looking for a hands-on, practical, and transformational learning experience.


**Discounts available for education, non-profit, and government

Starting at $10,000

About the Authors

Anca Castillo

Anca is a human-centered designer, strategic storyteller, and collaboration consultant known for bringing improv, visual thinking, and futures thinking to leaders who want to communicate with clarity and build forward-thinking strategies together. She holds a Master's Degree from Arizona State University in Business and numerous certifications in applied methods and tools that support collaboration. Born and raised in Romania, she brings global perspective, cultural nuance, and a love of stories to all her work. 

Cary Lopez, PhD

Cary is a researcher and organizational communication expert who helps teams navigate complexity, uncover behavior patterns, and translate insight into practical change.  With over twenty years of experience leading strategic initiatives and transforming workplace culture, she brings a unique blend of credentials: certified public accountant (CPA), project management professional (PMP), and one of the first 500 certified change management professionals (CCMP) in the world. She holds master's and doctoral degrees in communication from Arizona State University—a combination she calls being a "pracademic," bridging the worlds of research and work.  

Together...

Together they are Co-CEOs of a female led consulting firm, DesignConvo LLC,  in Chandler, Arizona. As facilitators, designers, and leadership educators they have spent a combine 25+ years inside boardrooms, universities, healthcare systems, and cross-sector coalitions helping thoughts of people  As a dynamic due, they teach leaders how to communicate with intention, navigate conflict, and design the structures that make real collaboration possible. 

Do you have other ideas you want to explore?

We’d love to collaborate with you.

Attach Files
Attachments (0)

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Copyright © 2025 Collaboration Illusion - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by

  • Home

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept