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Why is it so difficult to work as a team? Are there solutions to these difficulties? What can you do to help the team when you’re not the team leader? Patrick Lencioni is an American writer of books on business management, particularly in relation to team management.
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” exposes the underlying reasons behind the failure of most teams and how to surmount these challenges. Trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and a focus on results are the five cultures that every successful team must embrace if they are going to enjoy working together and achieve their goals. Lencioni uses a fable to depict the 5 dysfunctions and prescribes a model for overcoming these dysfunctions.
Key points
1
In a competitive industry, teamwork is more important than finance, strategy, and even technology because it is the difference maker
When everyone in an organization moves in the same direction, they can achieve dominance in any industry at any time irrespective of the size of the competition. In reality, the fact remains that teams, because they are made up of imperfect human beings, are inherently dysfunctional. Hence, the powerful nature of teamwork is often canceled out by its rarity.
It is difficult but not impossible to build a strong team. Teamwork comes down to mastering a set of behaviors that are at once theoretically uncomplicated, but extremely difficult to put into practice on a daily basis. Interestingly, these behaviors are multifunctional and cut across different fields — from business to religion.
The five dysfunctions of a team are:
• Absence of trust
• Fear of conflict
• Lack of commitment
• Avoidance of accountability
• Inattention to results
You need to assess your team to know the type of dysfunction it may be experiencing. Problem identification is the first step to seeking real solutions.
It is difficult but not impossible to build a strong team. Teamwork comes down to mastering a set of behaviors that are at once theoretically uncomplicated, but extremely difficult to put into practice on a daily basis. Interestingly, these behaviors are multifunctional and cut across different fields — from business to religion.
The five dysfunctions of a team are:
• Absence of trust
• Fear of conflict
• Lack of commitment
• Avoidance of accountability
• Inattention to results
You need to assess your team to know the type of dysfunction it may be experiencing. Problem identification is the first step to seeking real solutions.
You cannot solve a problem or fix a system with the same mindset that created the problem or system in the first place.
Getting out of a quagmire can be difficult. A talented executive staff in a company may be the bane of the organization if they feel their personal abilities are more important than the big picture. For things to change, there must be a decision and resolve to work the problem. Until they are willing to get their act together and row in the same direction, any dysfunctional team will continue to spiral down the drain until the company dies.
The ideas in this summary will reveal what’s causing disruption in your team and offer strategies for tackling the abnormality.
No matter your position on a team, this summary can help you improve in your role. You can also tap into the real power of teamwork — achieving more than individuals could ever imagine doing alone.
The ideas in this summary will reveal what’s causing disruption in your team and offer strategies for tackling the abnormality.
No matter your position on a team, this summary can help you improve in your role. You can also tap into the real power of teamwork — achieving more than individuals could ever imagine doing alone.
2
Purposefulness and intentionality must combine with courage to act if anything meaningful is going to be achieved
A change agent cannot afford to mess around. The most important thing is to have the courage to act. There will be important people on the team who want things to stay the same. They are going to kick against any changes in the status quo.
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3
The ultimate dysfunction of teams is inattention to results
4
Lack of commitment and the failure to buy into decisions is a team abnormality that manifests as ambiguity
5
A commitment to a defined set of principles over a long time produces teamwork
6
Trust is the lifeblood of any functioning, cohesive team because it creates an atmosphere for effective work
7
Conflict is beneficial to relationships that last a long time
8
People commit to clear goals that they have helped to develop
9
Prioritizing personal objective over team goals is the ultimate dysfunction of teams
10
