The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team By: Patrick Lencioni Presented by: Charlotte Dickey and Crystal Morgan

“TRUST IS THE FOUNDATION OF REAL TEAMWORK” Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback Hold grudges Absence of Trust – Invulnerability Members of Teams with absence of Trust Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback Hold grudges Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Absence of Trust – Invulnerability Members of Teams with absence of Trust (Continued) Jump to conclusions about the intentions and aptitudes of others without attempting to clarify them Hesitate to offer help outside their own areas of responsibility

Members of Trusting Teams Admit weaknesses and mistakes Ask for help Take Risk in offering Feedback and assistance Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggested ways to overcome Absence of Trust Personal Histories Exercise – This encourages greater empathy and understanding and discourages unfair and inaccurate behavioral attributions. Personality and Behavioral Preference Profiles – These help to break down barriers by allowing people to better understand and empathize with one another.

Suggested ways to overcome Absence of Trust (Continued) Experimental Team Exercises – Can be valuable tools for enhancing teamwork as long as they are layered upon more fundamental and relevant processes. Team Effectiveness Exercise – Useful information, both constructive and positive can be extracted.

Suggested ways to overcome Absence of Trust (Continued) 360 Degree Feedback – It should be used as a developmental tool, one that allows employees to identify strengths and weaknesses without any repercussions.

The Role of the Leader The most important action that a leader must take to encourage the building of trust on a Team is to demonstrate vulnerability first. Team Leaders must create an environment that does not punish vulnerability. Displays of vulnerability on the part of a Team leader must be genuine. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

“All great relationships, the ones that last over time, require productive conflict in order to grow.” Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Fear of Conflict –Artificial Harmony Teams that fear conflict Have boring meetings Ignore controversial topics that are critical to Team success Create environments where back-channel politics and personal attacks thrive Waste time and energy with posturing and interpersonal risk management Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Teams that engage in conflict Solve real problems quickly Minimize politics Put critical topics on the table for discussion Extract and exploit the ideas of all team members Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggestions of overcoming Fear of Conflict Acknowledge that conflict is productive, and that many teams have a tendency to avoid it. Simple methods of making conflict more common and productive: Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggestions of overcoming Fear of Conflict (Continued) Miner of Conflict – Someone who extracts buried disagreements within the Team and sheds the light of day on them.

Suggestions of overcoming Fear of Conflict (Continued) Real Time Permission – Recognize when the people engaged in conflict are becoming uncomfortable with the level of discord, and then interrupt to remind them that what they are doing is necessary.

Suggestions of overcoming Fear of Conflict (Continued) Other Tools – Thomas-Kilmann Conflict instrument, TKI, It allows Team members to understand natural inclinations around conflict so they can make more strategic choices about which approaches are most appropriate in different situations. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

The Role of the Leader Leaders need to demonstrate restraint when their people engage in conflict and allow resolution to occur naturally. A Leaders ability to personally model appropriate conflict behavior is essential. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

The two greatest causes of the lack of commitment are the desire for consensus and the need for certainty. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Lack of Commitment -Ambiguity A Team that fails to commit Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure Revisits discussions and decisions again and again Encourages second-guessing among Team members Creates ambiguity among the Team about direction and priorities Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Aligns the entire Team around common objectives A Team that commits Aligns the entire Team around common objectives Develops an ability to learn from mistakes Moves forward without hesitation Takes advantage of opportunities before competitors do Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggestions for overcoming Lack of Commitment Cascading Messaging – At the end of a meeting, a Team should explicitly review the key decisions made during the meeting and agree on what needs to be communicated to employees or other constituencies about those decisions. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggestions for overcoming Lack of Commitment (Continued) Contingency and Worst-Case Scenario Analysis – Clarify the worst-case scenario for a decision the Team is struggling to make. Deadlines - The use of clear deadlines for when decisions will be made, and honoring those dates with discipline and rigidity.

Suggestions for overcoming Lack of Commitment (Continued) Low-Risk Exposure Therapy – In relatively low risk situations, when Teams force themselves to make decisions after substantial discussion but little analysis or research, they usually come to realize that the quality of the decision they made was better than they had expected.

The Leader cannot place too high a premium on certainty or consensus. The Role of The Leader The Leader must be comfortable with the prospect of making a decision that ultimately turns out to be wrong. The Leader cannot place too high a premium on certainty or consensus. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

“The most effective and efficient means of maintaining high standards of performance on a Team is peer pressure.” Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Avoidance of Accountability –Low Standards A Team that avoids accountability Encourages Mediocrity Misses deadlines and key deliverables Creates resentment among Team members who have different standards of performance Places undue burden on the Team leader as the sole source of discipline

A Team that holds one another accountable Ensures that poor performers feel pressure to improve Identifies potential problems quickly by questioning one another’s approaches without hesitation Establishes respect among team members who are held to the same high standards

A Team that holds one another accountable (Continued) Avoids excessive bureaucracy around performance management and corrective action

Suggestions for overcoming Avoidance of Accountability Publication of Goals and Standards – Clarify publicly exactly what the Team needs to achieve, who needs to deliver what, and how everyone must behave in order to succeed. Simple and Regular Progress Reviews – Team members should regularly communicate with one another, either verbally or in written form, about how they feel their Teammates are doing against stated objectives and standards. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggestions for overcoming Avoidance of Accountability (Continued) Team Rewards- By shifting rewards away from individual performance to Team achievement, the Team can create a culture of accountability.

The Role of the Leader A Leader that wants to instill accountability on a Team needs to encourage and allow the Team to serve as the first and primary accountability mechanism. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

The Role of the Leader (Continued) Once a Leader has created a culture of accountability on a Team, he or she must be willing to serve as the ultimate arbiter of discipline when the Team itself fails. This should be a rare occurrence, but must be clear that accountability is a shared Team responsibility.

An unrelenting focus on specific objectives and clearly defined outcomes is a requirement for any Team that judges itself on performance. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Rarely defeats competitors Loses achievement-oriented employees Inattention to Results –Status and Ego A Team that is not focused on results Rarely defeats competitors Loses achievement-oriented employees Stagnates/fails to grow Is easily distracted Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

A Team that focuses on collective results Minimizes individualistic behavior Enjoys success and suffers failure acutely Avoids distractions Benefits from individuals who subjugate their own goals/interests for the good of the Team

Suggestions for overcoming Inattention to Results Public Declaration of Results – Teams that are willing to commit publicly to specific results are more likely to work with a passionate, even desperate desire to achieve those results. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Suggestions for overcoming Inattention to Results (Continued) Results Based Rewards – An effective way to ensure that Team members focus their attention on results is to tie their rewards, especially compensation, to the achievement of specific outcomes. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

The Leader must set the tone for a focus on results. The Role of the Leader The Leader must set the tone for a focus on results. Team leaders must be selfless and objective, and reserve rewards and recognition for those who make real contributions to the achievement of group goals. Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass

Scoring Combine your scores for the preceding statements as indicated below. Dysfunction 1: Absence of Trust Dysfunction 2: Fear of Conflict Dysfunction 3: Lack of Commitment Dysfunction 4 Avoidance of Accountability Dysfunction 5 Inattention to Results Statement 4 Statement 1 Statement 3 Statement 2 Statement 5 Statement 6 Statement 7 Statement 8 Statement 11 Statement 9 Statement 12 Statement 10 Statement 13 Statement 14 Statement 15 Total

A Score of 6 or 7 indicates that the dysfunction could be a problem A Score of 8 or 9 is a probable indication that the dysfunction is not a problem for your Team. A Score of 6 or 7 indicates that the dysfunction could be a problem A Score of 3 to 5 is probably an indication that the dysfunction needs to be addressed. Regardless of your scores, it is important to keep in mind that every team needs constant work, because without it, even the best ones deviate toward dysfunction.

Summary Reality remains that Teamwork ultimately comes down to practicing a small set of principles over a long period of time. Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory, but rather of embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.

Summary (Continued) Ironically, Teams succeed because they are exceedingly human. By acknowledging the imperfections of their humanity, members of functional Teams overcome the natural tendencies that make trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and a focus on results so elusive.

“WORKS CITED” Lencioni, Patrick (2002) The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Hoboken, NJ: Jossey -Bass