Leadership Alignment and Cross-Functional Collaboration: A Review of Organisational and Leadership Interventions

Leadership alignment and cross-functional collaboration are increasingly recognized as essential for achieving strategic coherence and organizational performance, particularly in dynamic sectors such as real estate. Misalignment among leadership teams often manifests through unclear roles, fragmented communication, and inconsistent decision-making, undermining collaboration and strategic execution. This review aims to identify the underlying causes of leadership misalignment, examine effective organizational and behavioral interventions, and explore how learning processes sustain alignment and collaboration within evolving organizations. Using a structured review approach guided by PRISMA 2020 elements, literature from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar was analyzed. Eight empirical studies published between 2020 and 2025 were synthesized, focusing on leadership development, cross-functional collaboration frameworks, and organizational learning practices across multiple sectors. The analysis revealed that leadership alignment, collaboration, and learning are mutually reinforcing processes. Effective interventions such as leadership coaching, reflective learning, integrated decision systems, and participatory governance enhance role clarity, communication coherence, and strategic adaptability. Studies highlighted that digital transformation, when combined with socio-technical alignment and psychological safety, can strengthen collaborative performance. Conversely, siloed structures, hierarchical cultures, and weak feedback loops continue to impede sustained alignment. This review concludes that leadership alignment should be viewed as a dynamic and iterative process rather than a static goal. Embedding reflective learning and adaptive collaboration mechanisms enables organizations, particularly in emerging markets like Malaysia, to achieve sustained strategic coherence, innovation, and resilience in rapidly changing environments.