Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Estimated Time to Read: 3 minutes

Welcome back and thanks for joining our exploration into how to build and hone a High-Performing Team (HPT).  In case you missed part 1, check out it out here:  The Necessity of a High-Performing Team.

As we continue on we’ll share rich content and expertise around examining what healthy and competent team dynamics look like. Equally important, we will look at team characteristics that we absolutely need to avoid in the pursuit of making our teams great.

Patrick Lencioni, a noted business and team management consultant has authored several books on what makes a great team—and the elements that can destroy a team’s effectiveness. In his insightful book titled, “Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” Patrick shares what he has learned over years of working with management teams. Paramount to his work he noted five debilitating aspects of team dynamics that consistently contributed to making teams unhealthy, ineffectual, and well…dysfunctional. Thus, the genesis a body of work called Five Dysfunctions of a Team. We will explore what I will call “team killers.”

So, what are these dysfunctions? The five are listed below.

1. Absence of Trust
2. Fear of Conflict
3. Lack of Commitment
4. Avoidance of Accountability
5. Inattention to Results
   

As in most pyramidal models, it is important to note these dysfunctions are layered with the base being of greater significance and should be examined as such. Know too these dysfunctions are interrelated--one easily leading to another creating a cycle of unproductivity and disharmony. The good news--building a cohesive team that works well together is not rocket science. But first we need examine what are the team killers.

(1) Absence of Trust

• Unwillingness to be vulnerable with the group
• Team members who are not genuinely open with one another of mistakes or weaknesses
• Conceal their weaknesses and mistakes
• Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback
• Jump to conclusions about intentions/aptitudes of others
• Fails to recognize and tap into one another’s strengths and talents
• Holds grudges
• Drea meeting and fin reasons to avoid time together

(2) Fear of Conflict

When there is no trust on the team…

• A tone is set for members to not speak openly about issues
• Lack of security to discuss in unfiltered/passionate debate
• Input becomes guarded
• Have boring meetings
• Create an environment where back-channel politics/personal attacks thrive
• Fail to tap in ALL the opinions and perspectives

(3) Lack of Commitment

• Without healthy conflict, members voice is not heard
• Members need to feel their input matters
• Create ambiguity among the team
• Watches windows of opportunity close due to excessive analysis & delay
• Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure
• Revisits discussion and decisions again and again
• Encourages second-guessing among team members

(4) Avoidance of Accountability

• Leaders not holding people accountable
• Team members don’t hold each other accountable
• Creates resentment among team members who have different standards of performance
• Encourages mediocrity
• Misses deadlines and key deliverables
• Places an undue burden on the team leader as the sole sources of discipline

(5) Inattention to Results

• If leaders don’t care, then why should we?
• I don’t have to worry about because no one is going to do anything about
• Individual needs before the team
• Stagnates/fails to grow
• Rarely defeats competitors
• Encourages team members to focus on their own careers and individual goals
• Is easily distracted

These are the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and key manifestations of those dysfunctions. May we assume many of you were checking off a number of these in your mind as you read them? And to that point, if you are curious where you and your team members stand with respect to these dysfunctions, there is an assessment available which will provide some valuable intelligence. It may provide you and your team some valuable helpful insight into the bigger question which is: ‘Just how dysfunctional are we?” And it is a question that begs to be answered if the objective is make your team better tomorrow than it is today.

To initiate the bold move to advance your team to a status of high performing, we must start with creating keen awareness of what just isn’t working. To be clear—and even fair, most teams have and live with some level of dysfunction. In fact, some teams are experiencing very difficult challenges. They see, sense, and experience it but feel helpless in knowing what to do about it. Our goal today is to provide you with some encouragement--that you need not be “stuck” in that mode in perpetuity.

Our next article will share helpful means and tactics to address the specifically identified dysfunctions of your team.  Until then…