A new Deloitte Consulting survey of 300 executives indicates that companies that link partners and suppliers to their internal business processes report 70% greater profitability than companies that haven't integrated. Three-quarters of the execs consider collaboration a top priority. The adoption of collaborative business is especially prevalent in large businesses, where 33% are conducting pilot programs and another 45% are planning to do so.

Still, 45% say they're concerned about the complexity of implementing collaborative tools, 33% aren't convinced of the maturity of collaborative software, 33% cite internal hurdles that might keep them from making progress, and 31% say trading partners and other external forces are potential obstacles.