The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Encyclopedia
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a business book by consultant and speaker Patrick Lencioni
. It describes the many pitfalls that teams face as they seek to "row together". This book explores the fundamental causes of organizational politics and team failure. Like most of Lencioni's books, the bulk of it is written as a business fable
. This book has appeared on American best-seller lists including: New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal and USA Today
.
The issues it describes are especially important in team sports.
Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, consultant and founder and president of , a firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthy. Lencioni’s ideas around leadership, teamwork and employee engagement have impacted organizations around the globe...
. It describes the many pitfalls that teams face as they seek to "row together". This book explores the fundamental causes of organizational politics and team failure. Like most of Lencioni's books, the bulk of it is written as a business fable
Business fable
A business fable is a fable, parable or novel that shares a lesson or lessons that can be applied in the business world. Business fables focus on providing a powerful message for CEOs, executives, senior and middle management, sales teams, human resources, change management, goal setting,...
. This book has appeared on American best-seller lists including: New York Times, Business Week, Wall Street Journal and USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
.
The issues it describes are especially important in team sports.
Summary
According to the book, the five dysfunctions are:- Absence of trust—unwilling to be vulnerable within the group
- Fear of conflict—seeking artificial harmony over constructive passionate debate
- Lack of commitment—feigning buy-in for group decisions creates ambiguity throughout the organization
- Avoidance of accountability—ducking the responsibility to call peers on counterproductive behavior sets low standards
- Inattention to results—focusing on personal success, status and ego before team success
Periodical reviews
- Harvard Business Review; Apr2002, Vol. 80 Issue 4, p28, John T. Landry
- Publishers Weekly March 25, 2002 v249 i12 p54(1),
- Top books of 2002: how to manage Jack Covert. Greater Baton Rouge Business Report Jan 21, 2003 v21 i10 p29(1)
- Booklist April 1, 2002 v98 i15 p1288(1)
- Library Journal April 15, 2002 v127 i7 p102(1)
- CMA Management July–August 2002 v76 i5 p6(1)
- Canadian Manager Fall 2002 v27 i3 p31(1)