To face the increasing prevalence of diabetes in Switzerland, a cantonal program has been implemented. One of its goals is to promote collaborative approaches among healthcare professionals (HCPs). These study objectives were to examine HCPs perception about the collaboration they experience in diabetes care, and to determine whether perceptions differed among professional groups. A mixed-method study was conducted. First, a total of 332 HCPs comprising diabetes specialists and non-specialists participated by completing a three-dimensional questionnaire on interprofessional collaboration. Focus groups were then led in order to deepen the understanding and complement the interpretation of quantitative results. Quantitative results showed a perception of a moderate level of collaboration. Mean scores for specialists were systematically worse than those of non-specialists and more prominently in the ‘level of conflict dimension’, which means that specialists generally perceived a lower level of collaboration and a higher level of possible conflict associated with it. Qualitative results highlighted the vagueness in role definition and emphasized a form of reluctance by general physicians to collaborate with specialists, as the physicians felt that they were losing their responsibilities. The findings suggest that it is not the need to collaborate that encourages HCPs involved in collaborative schemes to desire or to know how to successfully initiate, promote or conduct interprofessional collaboration. Therefore, the starting block is to know what they think about it, how they view its benefits and difficulties. This study highlights important perceptions about collaboration that could be taken into account when planning future collaborative programs.