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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002) (edit title/settings)

A Leadership Fable

by Patrick Lencioni (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive . This time, he turns his keen... read more

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Patrick Lencioni chose an intriguing way to write a book about team dysfunctions: 3/4 fable and 1/4 model. The first part narrates several weeks in the life of a team of executives at a company struggling to regain market leadership. Kathryn, a new CEO is brought in, some heads fall and a lot... read more (warning: may contain spoilers)

Patrick Lencioni chose an intriguing way to write a book about team dysfunctions: 3/4 fable and 1/4 model. The first part narrates several weeks in the life of a team of executives at a company struggling to regain market leadership. Kathryn, a new CEO is brought in, some heads fall and a lot of corporate restructuring must be done prior to obtaining the desired goal. The second part of the book presents the model Kathryn used for change in a more abstract manner.

The thesis is that all teams must overcome five correlated dysfunctions before reaching complete efficiency: lack of trust, fear of (positive) conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results.

Complete with suggested action points for overcoming each dysfunction, the book is a short and condensed read that will definitely propose some novel ideas for smoothing out the rough edges all our teams have.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Contrary to the notion that teams waste time and energy arguing, those that avoid conflict actually doom themselves to revisiting issues again and again without resolution”
  • “Failure to hold one another accountable creates an environment where the fifth dysfunction can thrive”
  • “ironic that so many people avoid conflict in the name of efficiency, because healthy conflict is actually a time saver”
  • “Success comes only for those groups that overcome the all-too-human behavioral tendencies that corrupt teams and breed dysfunctional politics within them”
  • “Team members who are not genuinely open with one another about their mistakes and weaknesses make it impossible to build a foundation for trust”
  • “The fact remains that teams, because they are made up of imperfect human beings, are inherently dysfunctional”
  • “The first dysfunction is an absence of trust among team members”
  • “This failure to build trust is damaging because it sets the tone for the second dysfunction: fear of conflict”
  • “Without committing to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven people often hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that seem counterproductive to the good of the team”
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • “Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.”
    Highlighted by 41 Kindle customers
  • “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.
    Highlighted by 21 Kindle customers
  • “The key, of course, is to define our goals, our results, in a way that is simple enough to grasp easily, and specific enough to be actionable.
    Highlighted by 20 Kindle customers
  • “If we don’t trust one another, then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict. And we’ll just continue to preserve a sense of artificial harmony.”
    Highlighted by 18 Kindle customers
  • “Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.”
    Highlighted by 17 Kindle customers
  • “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.”
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
  • Some people are hard to hold accountable because they are so helpful. Others because they get defensive. Others because they are intimidating. I don’t think it’s easy to hold anyone accountable, not even your own kids.”
    Highlighted by 12 Kindle customers
  • “Great teams do not hold back with one another,” she said. “They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.”
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
  • “During the next two weeks I am going to be pretty intolerant of behavior that demonstrates an absence of trust, or a focus on individual ego. I will be encouraging conflict, driving for clear commitments, and expecting all of you to hold each other accountable. I will be calling out bad behavior when I see it, and I’d like to see you doing the same. We don’t have time to waste.”
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
  • “If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”
    Highlighted by 11 Kindle customers
Show all 19 quotes from this book

Setting & Locations edit see section history

First Sentence edit see section history

Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 15 of 29 in SIM's Regional Leadership Forum 2011 Book List. (authoritative list)

Preceded by A Leader's Legacy, and followed by The Prince.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Patrick Lencioni (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2002
ISBN: 0787960756
Page Count: 229

Classification edit see section history

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