The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni presents a unique approach to understanding and overcoming common pitfalls faced by teams.

1. Absence of Trust: This foundational dysfunction is where team members are not open with each other about their mistakes and weaknesses. It leads to a lack of vulnerability-based trust, which is crucial for building a strong team.
2. 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. 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. Avoidance of Accountability: Due to the lack of commitment and buy-in, team members are often hesitant to call their peers on actions and behaviors that seem counterproductive to the team’s good health.
5. Inattention to Results: Failure to hold one another accountable leads to team members putting their individual needs (such as ego, career development, or recognition) or even the needs of their divisions above the collective goals of the team.