Five dysfunctions of a Team
It is important to keep in mind that every team needs constant work because without it even the best ones deviate toward dysfunction.
Watch this short video (~2 minutes) of Patrick Lencioni giving a brief overview of the Five dysfunctions of a team.
Absence of Trust:
Unwillingness to be vulnerable with each other
Team members are not genuinely open with each other about mistakes or weaknesses
Sets a tone for avoidance of conflict
Hold grudges
Dread meetings
Fear of Conflict:
Incapable of engaging in passionate debates of ideas
Resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments
Have boring meetings
Ignore controversial topics
Fail to tap into all the opinions and perspectives of the group
Lack of Commitment
Without having aired their opinions in the course of passionate debate team members rarely, if ever, buy into and commit to decisions of the group even though they may feign agreement during the meeting
Creates ambiguity about directions and priorities
Revisits discussions and decisions again and again
Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure
Avoidance of Accountability
Lack of buy in leads to avoidance of accountability
“I’m not accountable because it wasn’t my idea and I didn’t really support the decision in the first place”
Without commitment to a clear plan of action, peers often hesitate to call each other on actions and behaviours that seem counterproductive to the good of the team
Encourages mediocrity
Places undue burden on the leader as the sole source of discipline
Inattention to Results
Team members put their individual needs (ego, career, recognition) or even the needs of their department above the collective goals of the team
Stagnates/fails to grow
Rarely defeats competitors
Loses achievement oriented team members
Encourages team members to focus on their own career and goals
To see what you can do to avoid deviating towards dysfunction download the attached overview of The Leader’s Role in Teamwork.
