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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Rating: ••• (Recommended)
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Who Put the Fun in Dysfunctional? I liked Patrick Lencioni’s prior book in the fable genre of business advice, Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: The Four Disciplines at the Heart of Making Any Organization World Class. (See review at http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/Books/Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive.htm.) In his new book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni repeats what worked before: a long presentation that’s a story of how a made-up team operated over a period of time, followed by thirty or so pages of analysis. Business readers are likely to enjoy the characters Lencioni presents and how they interact. We’re reminded of who we are, or people we know. Here’s an excerpt from the, fable, all of the chapter titled “Entering the Danger,” where new-CEO Kathryn has her executive time at an off-site meeting: “The tension in the room began to mount as Kathryn watched Martin type away at the other end of the table. No one really thought she would say anything. But they didn’t know Kathryn very well. ‘Excuse me, Martin.’ Martin finished typing and then looked up to acknowledge his boss. ‘Are you working on something?’ Kathryn’s questions was sincere, without even a hint of sarcasm. The room froze, waiting anxiously for the answer to the question they had been wanting to ask for the past two years. Martin seemed as though he wasn’t going to respond at all, then said, ‘I’m taking notes, actually,’ and continued typing. Kathryn remained calm and continued to speak in a measured tone. ‘I think this is a good time to talk about ground rules for the off-site and for our meetings going forward.’ Martin looked up from his computer, and Kathryn continued, directing her comments to the entire group. ‘I don’t have a lot of rules when it comes to meetings. But there are a few that I’m a stickler about.’ Everyone waited for her to begin. ‘Basically, I want you all to do two things: be present and participate. That means everyone needs to be fully engaged in whatever we’re talking about.’ Even Martin knew when to pull back a little. He asked a questions, but in a slightly conciliatory tone that the group was not accustomed to hearing from their chief scientist. ‘What about when the conversation is not relevant to everyone? Sometimes it seems that we talk about issues that would be best handled off-line. One-on-one.’ ‘That’s a good point,’ Kathryn was reeling Martin in now. ‘If there is ever a time when that happens, when we think that we’re wasting the group’s time by dealing with issues that should be dealt with outside the meeting, then everyone here should feel free to speak up.’ Martin seemed pleased that she had agreed with him. Kathryn went on. ‘But for everything else, I want everyone fully engaged. And while I understand that some people prefer to use a computer rather than a notebook, like you, Martin, I’ve found that it’s just too distracting. It’s easy to imagine the person sitting there checking e-mail or working on something else. Mikey decided to come to Martin’s aid, something he didn’t want or need. ‘Kathryn, with all due respect, you haven’t worked within the high-tech culture, and this is pretty common in software companies. I mean, maybe not in the automotive world, but …’ Kathryn interrupted politely. ‘Actually, this is very common in the automotive world. I had the same issue there. It’s more of a behavioral issue than a technological one.’ Jeff nodded and smiled as if to say, Good answer. And with that, Martin closed his laptop and put it in his computer case. More than one of the staff members looked at Kathryn as if she had just talked a bank robber into handing over his gun. If only the rest of the day would be so easy.” The five dysfunctions that Lencioni uses the fable to illustrate, and that he explains in the analysis section following the story are: 1. Absence of Trust 2. Fear of Conflict 3. Lack of Commitment 4. Avoidance of Accountability 5. Inattention to Results In the analysis of each dysfunction, Lencioni describes in some detail what it is, and offers suggestions on how to overcome it. He presents a few characteristics of teams that display the dysfunction as well as teams that don’t. He also provides advice on the role of the leader in each area of dysfunction. Lencioni presents human stories in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and it’s through being human that he proposes ways to work through those problems and work as a successful team. Steve Hopkins, September 10, 2002
ã 2002 Hopkins and Company, LLC The recommendation rating for this book appeared in the October 2002 issue of Executive Times For Reprint Permission, Contact: Hopkins & Company, LLC • 723 North Kenilworth Avenue • Oak Park, IL 60302 Phone: 708-466-4650 • Fax: 708-386-8687 E-mail: books@hopkinsandcompany.com www.hopkinsandcompany.com