Snippets: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni's book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team illustrates the process of team building in the workplace.  The majority of the book tells the story of a CEO working to turn a dysfunctional executive team into a strong team, and the principles of team leadership are explored through this narrative.  The book's final short chapter reiterates and expands upon the principles explored in the fictional narrative.
     Lencioni explores five key dysfunctions in his book, and indicates ways in which they can be overcome.  In the last chapter, he describes the dysfunctions in the following way:
1.  The first dysfunction is an absence of trust among team members.  Essentially, this stems from their unwillingness to be vulnerable within the group.  Team members who are not genuinely open with one another about their mistakes and weaknesses make it impossible to build a foundation for trust.
2.  This failure to build trust is damaging because it sets the tone for the second dysfunction:  fear of conflict.  Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas.  Instead, they resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments.
3.  A lack of healthy conflict is a problem because it ensures the third dysfunction of a team: lack of commitment.  Without having aired their opinions in the course of passionate and open debate, team members rarely, if ever, buy in and commit to decisions, though they may feign agreement during meetings.
4.  Because of this lack of real commitment and buy-in, team members develop an avoidance of accountability, the fourth dysfunction.  Without committing to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven people often hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that seem counterproductive to the good of the team.
5.  Failure to hold one another accountable creates an environment where the fifth dysfunction can thrive.  Inattention to results occurs when team members put their individual needs (such as ego, career development, or recognition) or even the needs of their divisions above the collective goals of the team. (epub edition, 205-06).



The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable