A good friend of mine, John Quigley, recommended I read a book called “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Patrick Lencioni. Similar to “The Goal” and other effective and transformative business books I have read, this book’s concepts are delivered through the telling of a single story. Its an easy read, straightforward, entertaining and insightful. However, there is a great amount of depth to the book that becomes apparent as one looks to remedy the dysfunctions in the real world.
What I enjoyed most about the book is that it provides an arc or a foundation for building a great team. Similar to what I have read in Wisdom of Crowds, Wikinomics and Open Space Technology, groups of people have an amazing quality to really make remarkable things happen in this emergent and non-linear process. These dysfunctions, when addressed and remedied really allow for a clearing or space for a team to excel.
Here are the 5 dysfunctions that every leader and team member should be aware of in order to see optimum results.
Dysfunction 1: Inattention to Results – This is largely a function of team members being more interested in status and egoic interests.
Dysfunction 2: Avoidance of Accountability – This is shows up as low standards or low goals.
Dysfunction 3: Lack of Commitment – This is a result of ambiguity of job, direction and goals of the team.
Dysfunction 4: Fear of Conflict – The is evident when you see an artificial harmony within the team. There is such a thing as healthy conflict.
Dysfunction 5: Absence of Trust – This dysfunction expresses itself as members of the team being invulnerable.
Throughout the story, Patrick does a great job capturing the essence of each of these dysfunctions and how a leader can go about addressing these dysfunctions. After identifying each dysfunction, I would say that the next most important part of the book is the final chapter of the book, “Understanding and Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions.” Within this chapter are a list of exercises and resources for addressing each dysfunction.
Below is a really great YouTube video from the author with a short summary of the dysfunctions.
