Dysfunctions of a Team
Patrick Lencioni’s book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” outlines five common dysfunctions that teams often face and provides solutions for overcoming them. The five dysfunctions are:
- Absence of trust: Team members are reluctant to be vulnerable with one another and do not feel comfortable admitting their mistakes or weaknesses.
- Fear of conflict: Team members are unable to engage in healthy, passionate debate about ideas and instead resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments.
- Lack of commitment: Team members do not fully buy into decisions and plans, leading to ambiguity among the team.
- Avoidance of accountability: Team members are hesitant to hold one another accountable for their actions and behaviors, leading to low standards and poor performance.
- Inattention to results: Team members put their individual goals ahead of the team’s collective goals, leading to suboptimal results.
To help teams assess their own dysfunctions and develop a plan for improvement, Lencioni also created a “Five Dysfunctions of a Team Team Assessment.” This assessment allows team members to rate their team’s performance in each of the five areas and identify specific areas for improvement.
Overall, Lencioni’s work emphasizes the importance of trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability, and results in building effective teams. By addressing these five dysfunctions, teams can work together more cohesively and achieve greater success.
