Book Review- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

The book "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" truly stands out, especially for aspiring leaders who might feel unsure about handling daily conflicts or managing teams across different departments. It's not just a collection of theories or policies but emphasizes human understanding and the practical wisdom needed to find effective solutions with teams.

The best part of this read is learning about building team through the storytelling!

The book narrates a business story focusing on Kathryn, the new CEO of DecisionTech, a struggling high-tech company. Throughout the story, Kathryn strives to identify the root causes of the executive team’s failures. Despite DecisionTech having a great product and ample investor funding, it continues to underperform for unknown reasons. Kathryn, with prior executive experience in the automotive industry, is older than her peers on the executive team. The story vividly depicts her journey in overcoming age and expertise gaps and in helping the executives grow towards building stronger teams and a healthier work culture, thereby enhancing organizational performance, as illustrated through the black and white lines of the book.

The five dysfunctions of a team, as outlined in the book are-

1. Absence of trust (shown by an individual thinking they are invulnerable)

2. Fear of conflict (demonstrated by a team creating artificial harmony)

3. Lack of commitment (shown by ambiguity in team functions)

4. Avoidance of accountability (shown through holding low team standards)

5. Inattention to results (shown by individuals focusing on status and their ego more than the team’s goals)

Respect for people is a core principle underlying all five dysfunctions. A team that respects its members would naturally embrace healthy conflict and effective problem-solving.

In conclusion, here are the quotes from each of the five dysfunctions that held great lessons for me-

Dysfunction 1: Absence of Trust

“Trust is the foundation of real teamwork. And so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another. And if that sounds touchy-feely, let me explain, because there is nothing soft about it. It is an absolutely critical part of building a team. In fact, it’s probably the most critical.”

Dysfunction 2: Fear of Conflict

"Harmony itself is good, I suppose, if it comes as a result of working through issues constantly and cycling through conflict. But if it comes only as a result of people holding back their opinions and honest concerns, then it’s a bad thing."

Dysfunction 3: Lack of Commitment

"Consensus is horrible. I mean, if everyone really agrees on something and consensus comes about quickly and naturally, well that’s terrific. But that isn’t how it usually works, and so consensus becomes an attempt to please everyone."

Dysfunction 4: Avoidance of Accountability

"Once we achieve clarity and buy-in, it is then that we have to hold each other accountable for what we sign up to do, for high standards of performance and behavior. And as simple as that sounds, most executives hate to do it, especially when it comes to a peer’s behavior, because they want to avoid interpersonal discomfort."

Dysfunction 5: Inattention to Results

"When everyone is focused on results and using those to define success, it is difficult for ego to get out of hand. No matter how good an individual on the team might be feeling about his or her situation, if the team loses, everyone loses."