They unite business and IT into a powerful force: fusion teams. Close to customers, innovative, and accountable. Discover why fusion teams are the key to gaining speed in digital transformation.
“The fast eat the slow.” A phrase that aptly captures the pace of digital transformation. Those who fail to act quickly risk falling behind, on the market, with customers, and within their own organization. Today, competitiveness is no longer driven solely by technology, automation, or the next digital use case. What matters is driving change across departments—guided by a shared vision and clear responsibilities.
But while markets, customer needs, and technologies evolve rapidly, many organizations remain stuck in outdated structures. Technical excellence alone is no longer enough. Future readiness requires companies to evolve structurally, culturally, and operationally. So what truly drives speed and impact in organizations today? One of the most powerful levers is effective collaboration between business and IT. Not side by side, but together as equals, with clearly defined roles, shared leadership, and real decision-making authority. This is where fusion teams come into play.
What defines fusion teams
Fusion teams are cross-functional units made up of business and IT professionals. Rather than working within the traditional client-service model, they operate with a shared mission, dedicated budget, and combined business and technology expertise.
Typically, they are responsible for:
- A specific product, platform, or customer segment
- Revenue and profit performance
- Managing and continuously evolving the supporting IT services
- Driving initiatives aligned to tangible business goals
- Prioritizing customer value above all
Fusion teams act as independent leadership units. Entrepreneurial in spirit, decisive in action, and relentlessly focused on market relevance and business outcomes.
A possible example from the insurance industry illustrates how fusion teams can bundle responsibility and open up new customer segments. A mid-sized insurer wants to attract younger customers, a segment where traditional channels and products no longer resonate. Instead of relying on legacy structures, the company forms a fusion team tasked with designing, launching, and ensuring the business success of a new offering.
This team brings together experts from marketing, product development, IT, data analytics, and legal. It is co-led by business and IT, empowered with its own mandate, budget, and end-to-end accountability. The result? A digital e-scooter insurance product, fully automated and app-based, tailored to young customers. Decisions on pricing, technology, and customer engagement are made entirely within the team.
The outcome: A streamlined digital experience minimizes internal overhead while delivering valuable insights into a new customer base—laying the foundation for future customer-centric innovations.
Why mindset matters
Fusion teams can only thrive if the mindset shifts along with the structure. In many organizations, business and IT still operate in silos: business makes the requests, IT delivers. This dynamic leads to friction, missed opportunities, and slower progress.
Fusion teams disrupt that paradigm. Business leaders actively shape digital solutions. IT professionals act as strategic partners, not just technical executors. Both sides collaborate as equals, aligned around a shared goal and jointly responsible for delivering success.
This shift in perspective is challenging but essential. It creates teams that don't just execute innovation; they drive it.
Embedding fusion teams in the operating model
To deliver long-term impact, fusion teams need structure. A digital operating model provides that framework with centralized governance, reliable platforms, and decentralized innovation.
At the heart is a modern target operating model that aligns roles, processes, and technologies strategically. It creates the conditions for fusion teams to act autonomously while remaining connected to a strong, stable core.
Key elements include standardized core services, scalable data platforms, and easy access to technologies like artificial intelligence. Fusion teams leverage this infrastructure to build market-oriented solutions—quickly, effectively, and aligned with user needs.
Generative AI, such as Microsoft Copilot, plays a particularly important role here; possibly even a differentiator. It supports data-driven decisions, automates processes, and enables new types of digital products. In fusion teams, AI isn’t a separate topic—it’s simply part of how work gets done.
What it takes to make fusion teams work
Fusion teams don’t succeed by default. Their introduction shifts roles, processes, and responsibilities, disrupting established patterns. Success requires a clear vision, strong executive support, and change management that provides orientation and empowers employees along the way. This is a long-term transformation, persistence is key.
A structured approach is essential: one that connects technical foundations, organizational frameworks, and cultural change. Only then can fusion teams operate with autonomy, deliver measurable impact, and drive future success.
Campana & Schott supports organizations on this journey with strategic clarity, deep technological expertise, and hands-on experience in transformation. We help design digital operating models, build high-performing fusion teams, and embed modern working cultures for the long term.
