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Five Dysfunctions of A Team

This document discusses leadership and team dynamics. It defines management versus leadership, outlines six leadership styles, and examines the five dysfunctions that teams face: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. For each dysfunction, it describes how teams operate with and without the issue, suggestions for overcoming it, and the role of the leader in addressing it. The overall message is that effective leadership and teamwork require establishing trust, engaging in productive conflict, gaining commitment, holding members accountable, and focusing on results.

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692 views48 pages

Five Dysfunctions of A Team

This document discusses leadership and team dynamics. It defines management versus leadership, outlines six leadership styles, and examines the five dysfunctions that teams face: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. For each dysfunction, it describes how teams operate with and without the issue, suggestions for overcoming it, and the role of the leader in addressing it. The overall message is that effective leadership and teamwork require establishing trust, engaging in productive conflict, gaining commitment, holding members accountable, and focusing on results.

Uploaded by

Mastersam888
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Adapted from Patrick Lencioni


book Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
Leadership Overview
Leadership is.
Kouzes, James M. and Posner, Barry Z., The Leadership
Challenge, pg.20

an identifiable set of skills and practices that are


available to all of us.
is a relationship between those who aspire to
lead and those who choose to follow.
Managers vs. Leaders
Covey, Stephen R., The 7 Habits of
Highly Effective People, pg.101
Kotter, John P., Leading Change,
pg.165
Managers vs. Leaders
Managers know how to Leaders create and
plan, budget, organize, communicate visions and
staff, control, and strategies
problem solve
Managers deal mostly Leaders deal mostly with
with the status quo change
Management is a bottom Leadership deals with the
line focus: How can I best top line: What are the
accomplish certain things I want to
things? accomplish?
Management is doing Leadership is doing the
things right right things
Six Leadership Styles
Goleman (2000, pgs. 82-83)

Coercive-the leader demands compliance. (Do what I tell you.)


Authoritative-the leader mobilizes people toward a vision. (Come
with me.)
Affiliative-the leader creates harmony and builds emotional bonds.
(People come first.)
Democratic-the leader forges consenus through participation.
(What do you think?)
Pacesetting-the leader sets high standards for performance. (Do as
I do, now.)
Coaching-the leader develops people for the future. (Try this.)
Exemplary Leadership

Model the Way


Inspire a Shared Vision
Challenge the Process
Enable Others to Act
Encourage the Heart
5 Dysfunctions Leaders Face

Taken from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team


and Overcoming The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team
by Patrick Lencioni
5 Dysfunctions Leaders Face
The dysfunction
How teams operate with the dysfunction
How teams operate without the dysfunction
Suggestions for overcoming the dysfunction
The role of the leader
The 5 Dysfunctions
Inattention to
Results

Avoidance of
ACCOUNTABILITY

Lack of COMMITMENT

Fear of CONFLICT

Absence of TRUST
#1the absence of TRUST

It simply makes no
difference how good the
rhetoric is or even how good
the intentions are; if there is
little or no trust, there is no
foundation for permanent
success.
~Stephen Covey
What is TRUST?

Think of two people: one that you trust and the other that
you dont.

In the context of team building, trust is the confidence


among team members that their peers intentions are
good, and that there is no reason to be careful around the
group
Members of teams with an with absence of trust . .
1. Conceal their weaknesses and mistakes from one another
2. Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback
3. Hesitate to offer help outside their own areas of
responsibility
4. Jump to conclusions about the intentions and aptitudes of
others without attempting to clarify then
5. Fail to recognize and tap into one anothers skills and
experiences
6. Waste time and energy managing their behaviors for effect
7. Hold grudges
8. Dread meetings
Members of trusting teams . . .

1. Admit weakness and mistakes


2. Ask for help
3. Accept questions and input about their areas of responsibility
4. Give one another the benefit of the doubt before arriving to a
negative conclusion
5. Take risks in offering feedback and assistance
6. Appreciate and tap into one anothers skills and experiences
7. Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics
8. Offer and accept apologies without hesitation
9. Look forward to meetings and other opportunities to work as a
group
The Role of the Leader
Demonstrate Vulnerability
#2the fear of CONFLICT
Much unhappiness has come into the world
because of bewilderment and things left
unsaid.
~Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Is conflict ever positive?
What is an example of healthy conflict?

What happens to make it quality?

What doesnt happen that keeps it good?

Teams that engage in productive conflict


know that the only purpose is to produce the
best possible solution in the shortest period
of time
Teams that fear conflict . . .
1. Have boring meetings
2. Create environments where back-channel
politics and personal attacks thrive
3. Ignore controversial topics that are critical to
team success
4. Fail to tap into all the opinions and
perspectives of team members
5. Waste time and energy with posturing and
interpersonal risk management
Teams that Engage in Conflict . . .

1. Have lively interesting meetings


2. Extract and explore the ideas of all team
members
3. Solve real problems quickly
4. Minimize politics
5. Put critical topics on the table for discussion
Suggestions for overcoming fear of conflict

Mining
Extracting buried disagreements within the team
and sheds the light of day on them
Real Time Permission
Coaching one another not to retreat from healthy
debate
Role of the Leader
Demonstrate restraint when team members
engage in conflict
Personally model appropriate conflict behavior
#3the lack of COMMITMENT
Always remember the distinction between
contribution and commitment. Take the matter of bacon
and eggs. The chicken makes a contribution. The pig
makes a commitment.
~John Mack Carter

In the context of a team, commitment is a function


of two things: clarity and buy-in
Enemies of Commitment:
1. The need for consensus
sometimes in the pursuit of unanimity we
seek artificial harmony, and that leads to low
levels of commitment.
2. The fear of failure
this is the most common reason people do not
commit. They would rather not ever take a
stand on something than risk being wrong.
3. Lack of communication
if someone is not being heard or listened to,
they will not invest in any decisions or goals.
4. Mismatch
a person who is in the wrong position for him
or her will not contain the interest or passion
necessary to achieve high levels of commitment.
A team that fails to commit
1. Creates ambiguity among the team about
direction and priorities
2. Watches windows of opportunity close due to
excessive analysis and unnecessary delay
3. Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure
4. Revisits discussions and decisions again and
again
5. Encourages second-guessing among team
members
A team that commits
1. Creates clarity around direction and priorities
2. Aligns the entire team around common
objectives
3. Develops an ability to learn from mistakes
4. Take advantage of opportunities before
competitors do
5. Move forward without hesitation
6. Change direction without hesitation or guilt
Suggestions for overcoming the lack of commitment

Cascading Messaging
Deadlines
Contingency and Worst-Case scenario Analysis
Low-Risk Exposure Therapy
Commitment
Clarity and buy-in are two functions that must
happen every time.
Consensusall ideas must be heard and
considered before this can be effective
Certaintyunity behind decisions yet little
assurance about clarity and buy-inused when
consensus not possible
Importantconflict underlies the willingness to
commit without perfect information
Commitment is.
Clarity around directions and priorities
Alignment of entire team around common
objectives
Developing an ability to learn from mistakes
Taking advantage of opportunities before
competitors do
Moving forward without hesitation
Changing direction without hesitation or guilt
The Role of the Leader
Be comfortable with the prospect of making a
decision that ultimately turns out to be wrong
Constantly push the group for closure around
issues and adherence to schedules the team has
set
#4avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY
The secret of discipline is motivation. When a
man is sufficiently motivated, discipline will
take care of itself.
~Sir Alexander Paterson

In the context of teamwork, accountability


refers specifically to the willingness of team
members to call their peers on performance
of behaviors that might hurt the team
Quick Self Check
see how your team does
3usually 2sometimes 1rarely

____ We call out one anothers deficiencies or


unproductive behaviors.
____ We are deeply concerned about the
prospect of letting down our peers.
____ We challenge one another about our
plans and approaches.
A team that avoids accountability

1. Creates resentment among team members


who have different standards of
performance
2. Encourages mediocrity
3. Misses deadlines and key deliverables
4. Place an undue burden on the team leader
as the sole source of discipline
A team that holds one another accountable

1. Ensures that poor performers feel pressure to


improve
2. Identifies potential problems quickly by
questioning one anothers approaches without
hesitation
3. Establishes respect among team members who
are held to the same high standards
4. Avoids excessive bureaucracy around
performance management and corrective
action
Accountability
Peer Pressure is the most effective and efficient
means of keeping high standards.
Defined as willingness to call their peers on
performance or behaviors that might hurt the
team
Ways to assist: publish goals and standards for
all to see; frequent progress reports; team
rewards
Suggestions for overcoming avoidance of accountability

Team Rewards
Explicitly communicate goals and standards
of behavior
Regularly discuss performance versus goals
and standards
The Role of the Leader
Allow the team to serve as the first and primary
accountability mechanism
Be willing to serve as the ultimate arbiter of
discipline when the team itself fails
#5inattention to RESULTS
Teamwork is the quintessential contradiction of a
society grounded in individual achievement.
~Marvin Weisbord
The ultimate dysfunction of a team is
the tendency of members to care
about something other than the
collective goals of the group.

~Patrick Lencioni
Distracters

Team
Individual Statussuccess Statusto some people just
of a specific person without being on the team means that
regard to the status of the they have met their goals, and
team as a larger unit. The because of this no longer buy
desire for individual credit
erodes the focus on collective into the goals, vision, and/or
success. mission of the team
A team that is not focused on results

1. Stagnates/fails to grow
2. Rarely defeats competitors
3. Loses achievement-oriented employees
4. Encourages team members to focus on their
own careers and individual goals
5. Is easily distracted
A team that focuses on collective results

1. Retains achievement-oriented employees


2. Minimize individualistic behavior
3. Enjoys success and suffers failure acutely
4. Benefits from individuals who subjugate their
own goals/interests for the good of the team
5. Avoids Distractions
Overcoming inattention to

Public declaration of results

Results-based rewards
The Role of the Leader
Set the tone for a focus on results
Be selfless and objective, reserve the rewards
and recognition for those who make real
contributions to achievement of group goals
Where we would like to be!

focus on
Results

ACCOUNTABILITY

COMMITMENT

CONFLICT

TRUST

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