Five Dysfunctions
Once I started reading Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni, I couldn’t put it down. Written as a fictional story, the style is light and engrossing. In two hours, I was done and wondering why I had not come across this gem of a book earlier, now almost 2 decades old. This should be mandatory reading for every manager.
The 5 dysfunctions. Start at the bottom. On the right is evidence of the dysfunction.
The book talks about the key five key characteristics of every dysfunctional team. Fix these and the rest will take care of itself. The five dysfunctions are all closely related and feed into one another:
Absence of trust: It has to start with a strong foundation of trust. It takes time to build trust. It requires showing vulnerability and talking openly about mistakes and weaknesses.
Fear of conflict: The goal is to debate openly and have buy-in for a decision from every single team member.
Lack of commitment: When decisions don’t get made, there is perpetual ambiguity and lack of clarity.
Avoidance of accountability: Low standards result from nobody being accountable for anything.
Inattention to results: Alignment on a common goal is key.