Managing the White Space: The Work Between the Work

Solving the invisible gaps between teams, roles, and responsibilities—before they slow your business down 

Every organization has white space. 
It’s not a productivity issue. It’s not a leadership flaw. 
It’s a structural reality—and one of the most overlooked causes of wasted time, missed deadlines, and mounting frustration. 

White space is what exists between the lines of your org chart. 
It’s the gray area between roles, between teams, between processes. 
It’s the follow-up no one owns. 
The status update that never gets shared. 
The “Oh, I thought they were handling that…” moment that quietly derails momentum. 

Smart organizations don’t just work harder to fill the gaps. 
They name them. Design around them. And make sure someone is connecting the dots. 

What White Space Looks Like (and Why It Matters) 

It shows up in all kinds of ways: 

• A new product launches... but no one owns the internal training 

• A vendor contract ends... but no one informs the team relying on it 

• A task changes hands... but accountability gets lost in the handoff 

It’s not because people aren’t doing their jobs. 
It’s because some of the most critical work lives outside any one job description. 

And that’s where white space lives. 

How to Manage the White Space (Without Creating Bureaucracy) 

Here’s how high-functioning teams manage white space intentionally—without slowing things down: 

1. Spot the Gaps 

Start by mapping handoffs: 
Who does what, when, and where does responsibility end? 

White space often lives: 

• Between functional teams (e.g., Sales → Ops → Finance) 

• Between formal processes (e.g., project end → sustainment) 

• Between roles on the org chart (e.g., two leads, no follow-through) 

It’s the connective tissue no one formally owns—but everyone relies on. 

2. Assign Ownership (Even If It’s Shared) 

White space doesn’t need a new department. 
But it does need a point of accountability. 

Designate a “dot connector”—someone who sees the whole picture and ensures that cross-functional work stays coordinated and complete. 

Pro tip: This is where consultants can provide real value. 
With an outside perspective and a focus on the big picture, they can help connect the dots across teams.  By managing the white space, they clarify ownership and ensure that critical work doesn’t slip through the cracks. 

3. Make the Invisible Work, Visible 

White space thrives in silence. The best way to manage it? 
Expose it. Track it. Talk about it. 

That doesn’t mean creating a complex new process. It means giving people just enough visibility to stay aligned—especially when no one’s in the same room, or the work falls between functions. 

A study by Asana found that 60% of knowledge workers’ time is spent on “work about work”—things like chasing updates, clarifying responsibilities, or waiting for approvals. That’s time lost to misalignment. (1) 

Simple visibility tools can change that: 

• A shared status board with in-flight tasks and blockers 

• A live project tracker everyone can access 

• A weekly “what’s moving, what’s stuck” recap in Slack or Teams 

• Clear RACI or DACI charts for who’s driving what—and who just needs to be informed 

Pro tip: If it’s unclear who should be updating the tracker, that’s a signal the white space hasn’t been fully owned. Assign a navigator—someone who keeps the map current and the work in motion. 

Visibility isn’t just about progress. It’s about trust. 

4. Build Relationships Across the Gaps 

Structure helps. But relationships are what really fill the white space. 

When cross-functional relationships are strong, work moves faster—because people know who to ask, how to ask, and what context matters. When they aren’t, even simple tasks can stall. 

Encourage teams to build connections beyond their core group: 

• Create communities of practice around shared skills or priorities (e.g., CX, data, DEI) 

• Host informal “meet the team” sessions during onboarding or project kickoffs 

• Use job shadows, rotational programs, or paired work to foster empathy and shared language 

A study in Harvard Business Review found that the most effective cross-functional teams prioritize “relationship management” just as highly as technical skills or domain knowledge. (2) 

Pro tip: If your team is dealing with consistent friction between two functions, it might not be a process problem—it might be a relationship gap. Start by creating a connection, not adding controls. 

When gaps emerge—and they always will—teams that know and trust each other don’t waste time assigning blame. They jump in and solve together. 

5. Keep Evolving Your Approach 

White space shifts as your organization grows. 
What worked at 50 people breaks at 150. And what worked at 150 might quietly fail at 500. 

The key is to stay curious, not just compliant. 

Make time to regularly: 

• Run retrospectives after big milestones—what got dropped or delayed that wasn’t anyone’s “job”? 

• Ask your team directly: “What are you doing that isn’t technically in your role but needs to happen?” 

• Revisit roles and accountability during reorganizations or strategy pivots 

A McKinsey study found that companies that regularly revisit how work gets done are 2x as likely to outperform peers on key performance metrics. (3) 

Pro tip: Don’t wait for a crisis to fix your white space. Make reflection a routine—not a recovery plan. 

Managing white space isn’t a cleanup activity. 
It’s part of designing systems that scale with clarity, trust, and forward motion. 

Final Thought 

White space is where so many organizations struggle—not because people aren’t trying hard enough, but because the work between the work gets overlooked. 

But once you start seeing it, you can start solving for it. 

At WorkWell, we help organizations close the gaps—by connecting dots, clarifying ownership, and creating momentum where things once got stuck. 

Want help identifying and managing the white space in your organization? Let’s WorkWell, together. 

Sources 

1 Asana. (2023). Anatomy of Work Global Index. 
https://resources.asana.com/resources/anatomy-of-work 

2 Groysberg, B., & Slind, M. (2021). Leadership Is a Conversation. Harvard Business Review. 
https://hbr.org/2012/06/leadership-is-a-conversation 

3 McKinsey & Company. (2023). Revisiting the operating model: How to get from blueprint to impact. 
https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights