At the end of the story, the main points are summarized, and clearly expressed suggestions and exercises are offered to help bring about change. The scenarios are recognizable and can be applied anywhere teamwork is involved, whether it is a multinational company, a small department within a larger organization, or a sports team. Departing from the dry, theoretical writing of many management books, he presents his case in the context of a fictional organization, and in doing so succeeds at communicating his ideas. Succinct yet sympathetic, this guide will be a boon for those struggling with the inherent difficulties of leading a group.īuilding a cohesive team is not complicated, declares Lencioni. Story time over, Lencioni offers explicit instructions for overcoming the human behavioral tendencies that he says corrupt teams (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results).

“In keeping with the parable style, Patrick Lencioni begins by telling the fable of a woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. So, lack of commitment is the 3rd of the 5 dysfunctions of a team.The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni Synopsis: Often we assume that silence means people agree with us - but often it means people aren’t comfortable engaging in healthy conflict - and, as leadership author John Maxwell points out, if people don’t weigh in they won’t buy in”. One simple technique I’ve personally found useful for building commitment is assuming that “ silence means disagreement”. This is a classic symptom of a team where surface-level agreement has been obtained, without a full debate and a proper securing of commitment. So many times I hear teams saying “we need to start to present a unified front after our meetings” - instead of the corridor conversations afterwards where team decisions are criticised and reopened. It’s about buy-in and allowing everyone to explain their point of view during conflict. The CEO, Kathryn, explains that commitment isn’t about consensus. If a team doesn’t engage in constructive and ideological conflict and debate, it will fail to secure the full commitment of each member.

The five dysfunctions of a team book