Five Dysfunctions of a Team

By Patrick Lencioni
Passed along to me as a gift from a former employer, who incidentally invited this author/presenter speak at an AGM, this one sat on my bookshelf for a year—or two. Finally, when looking for something a bit different to review this month I decided to crack its spine. Brace yourself for a fascinating read.
Renowned consultant and speaker Patrick Lencioni writes a series of management books. In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he uses the successful leadership fable of how new CEO Kathryn Petersen was lured out of retirement to transform a tech company whose dysfunctional group of executives in order to get results.

As she walks the halls and observes boardroom chatter for the first few weeks on the job, she takes notes. A month later, she identifies the one thing holding back the company: the lack of teamwork caused by five dysfunctions. Through a series of off-site retreats in the Napa Valley, the reader is pulled into a series of team meetings to learn about how these dysfunctions—Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Avoidance of Accountability and Inattention to Results—ultimately, hinder a company’s ability to reach its potential.
 
“It’s not about finance. And it’s not about strategy—not even technology. Teamwork remains to be the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.  But that is not to say that teamwork is doomed. Far from it. In fact, building a strong team is both possible and remarkably simple. But it is painfully difficult,” writes Lencioni.

This book is designed to bring the reader, or manager, through the re-building process step-by-step. From spotting underachievement, lighting the fire to the heavy lifting and finding traction, Lencioni shows through this leadership fable how to build trust, mastering conflict, achieving commitment, embracing accountability and focusing on results—as a team. It is a compelling lesson for anyone in business.

Readers may also be interested to know that the author also wrote an accompanying field guide entitled, Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Field Guide for Leaders, Managers, and Facilitators (Wiley 2005).

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