The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni

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Description

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team outlines the root causes of politics and dysfunction on the teams where you work, and the keys to overcoming them. Counter to conventional wisdom, the causes of dysfunction are both identifiable and curable. However, they don't die easily. Making a team functional and cohesive requires levels of courage and discipline that many groups cannot seem to muster.

Key words: Leadership, teamwork, results

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My notes

I have reversed the dysfunctions below, to produce the 5 steps of a functioning team.

Step One

Build Trust

• Be vulnerable with team members to build Trust with the team

• Trust is the foundation of real teamwork

• Team members need to know other members strengths and weaknesses. Open up!

Trust lets healthy conflict occur

Step Two

Establish productive Conflict

• Draw out differing opinions and perspectives from staff members

• Engage in and allow passionate discussions about key issues

• Push for debate. Share ideas. Produce best solution in shortest period of time

• Mine for Conflict!!

Conflict leads to clarity (the team will clarify their points and you as the leader, will facilitate the agreement on the way to move forward).

Step Three

Provide Clarity (way forward from conflict above)

• Get people to commit

• Any decision is better than no decision. Unite the team behind the decision

• Provide a vision! Get people to buy into decisions. Buy in to the same plan 

• Set public deadlines for making decisions

• Practice making decisions without complete information

• Provide clear direction

• Force clarity and closure!!

Clarity allows Accountability (because you, the leader, have provided ‘clear’ direction and vision above – if your team don’t comply, hold them accountable (remember - they agreed to go forward as a team)

Step Four

Hold people Accountable (in context of team)

• Confront direct reports immediately about behaviour and performance

• Clarify expectations upfront to make confronting direct reports easier

• Confront difficult issues. Enter the danger and call each other out

• Tell them what you expect!!

Accountability ensures Results

Step Five

Focus on Results

• Publicly commit to measurable results

• Evaluate your success based on results alone!

• Focus on collective outcomes of the team

• Live and breathe team objectives