The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni Presented by Leon Britz The Five Temptations of a CEO Death by Meeting The Three Signs of a Miserable Job The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family Silos, Politics and Turf Wars

Tonight… 1.What are the 5 dysfunctions? 2.What does each dysfunction cause? 3.How do they connect to each other? 4.How do we overcome them? Tools & activities The leader’s role

My team… The team I’m in… 1.Trust each other 2.Engages in unfiltered conflict around ideas 3.Commits to decisions and plans of action 4.Hold one another accountable for delivering against those plans 5.Focuses on the achievement of collective results

Absence of TRUST Fear of CONFLICT Lack of COMMITMENT Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY Inattention to RESULTS

1. Absence of TRUST Members of a team with an absence of trust… Conceal their weaknesses and mistakes from each other Hesitate to ask for help or provide constructive feedback Hesitate to offer help outside their own areas of responsibility Jump to conclusions Fail to recognise or tap into each others’ skills Waste time and energy on behaviours Hold grudges Dread meetings and avoid spending time together Usually have a low morale

1. Absence of TRUST Members of a trusting team… Admit weaknesses and mistakes Ask for help Accept questions and input about their areas of responsibility Give one another the benefits of the doubt Take risks in offering feedback and assistance Appreciate and tap into one another’s skills Focus time and energy on important issues, not politics Offer and accept apologies without hesitation Look forward to meetings and other opportunities to work as a group

Absence of TRUST Fear of CONFLICT Building trust makes conflict possible

2. Fear of CONFLICT Teams that fear conflict… Have boring meetings Create environments where politics and personal attacks thrive Ignore controversial topic Fail to tap into all the opinions/perspectives of team members Waste time and energy with posturing & interpersonal risk management

2. Fear of CONFLICT Teams that engage in conflict… Have lively, interesting meetings Extract and exploit everyone’s ideas Solve real problems quickly Minimise politics Put critical topics on the table

Absence of TRUST Fear of CONFLICT Lack of COMMITMENT Building trust makes conflict possible By engaging in productive conflict (understanding each others’ perspectives & opinions) a team can confidently commit

3. Lack of COMMITMENT Teams that fails to commit… Creates ambiguity about direction and priorities Let opportunities slip by due to excessive analysis or unnecessary delay Breeds lack of confidence and fear of failure Revisits discussions and decisions again and again Encourages second-guessing

3. Lack of COMMITMENT A teams that commits… Creates clarity around direction and purpose Aligns the entire team around common objectives Develops an ability to learn from mistakes Takes advantage of opportunities before competitors do Moves forward without hesitation Changes direction without hesitation or guilt

Absence of TRUST Fear of CONFLICT Lack of COMMITMENT Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY Building trust makes conflict possible By engaging in productive conflict (understanding each others’ perspectives & opinions) a team can confidently commit You cannot hold someone accountable for something that was never bought into or made clear in the first place

4. Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY A teams that avoids accountability… Creates resentment towards members who have different standards of performance Encourages mediocrity Misses deadlines and key deliverables Places an undue burden on the team leader (or Scrum Master) as the sole source of discipline

4. Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY A teams 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 Avoids bureaucracy around performance management

Absence of TRUST Fear of CONFLICT Lack of COMMITMENT Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY Inattention to RESULTS Building trust makes conflict possible By engaging in productive conflict (understanding each others’ perspectives & opinions) a team can confidently commit You cannot hold someone accountable for something that was never bought into or made clear in the first place If teammates are not being held accountable for their contributions, they will focus on their own needs, and not collective results

5. Inattention to RESULTS A team that is not focused on collective results… Fails to grow Rarely defeats competitors Loses achievement-oriented employees Encourages team members to focus on their own careers Is easily distracted

5. Inattention to RESULTS A team that focuses on collective results… Retains good employees Minimises individualistic behaviour Enjoys success Benefits from individuals who subjugate their own goals/interests for the good of the team Avoids distractions

How do we overcome them?

1. Absence of TRUST How to overcome Vulnerability-based trust cannot be achieved overnight It takes shared experiences over time and a deep understanding of your team members Take a focused approach Activities Personal histories exercise (30 min.) Team effectiveness exercise (60 min.) Personality/behavioural profiling, i.e. Myers-Briggs (4 hr) 360 degree feedback Experiential team exercises Role of leader Be vulnerable Risk losing face Don’t fake it

How to overcome Acknowledge that conflict is productive Many teams try to avoid it 2. Fear of CONFLICT Activities Conflict mining Real-time permission Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) Role of leader Guard against your desire to protect members from harm Allow resolution to occur naturally, even if it’s messy Let (necessary/productive) conflict happen

3. Lack of COMMITMENT How to overcome Take specific steps to maximize clarity Achieve buy-in Resist the lures of consensus or certainty Tools and principles Cascading messaging Deadlines Contingency and worst-case scenario analysis Low-risk exposure therapy Role of leader Be comfortable with the prospect of making a decision that might be wrong Push group for closure around issues Enforce team to stick to their own schedules Stress certainty and consensus

4. Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY How to overcome Adhere to classic management tools Tools Publication of goals and standards Simple and regular progress reviews Team rewards Role of leader Strong leaders can naturally create an accountability vacuum in the team leaving themselves as the only source of discipline Be willing to serve as the ultimate arbiter of discipline when the team itself fails (should be a rare occurrence)

5. Inattention to RESULTS How to overcome Make results clear Only award actions that contribute to those results Tools Public declaration of results Results-based rewards Role of leader Leader must set a tone for a focus on results Stay objective by giving rewards/recognition to those who make real contributions to the achievement of group goals

Absence of TRUST Fear of CONFLICT Lack of COMMITMENT Avoidance of ACCOUNTABILITY Inattention to RESULTS The Role of the Leader Focus on collective outcomes Confront difficult issues Force clarity and closure Demand debate Be vulnerable

The opposite approach… Imagine how members of truly cohesive teams behave… 1.They trust each other 2.They engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas 3.They commit to decisions and plans of action 4.They hold one another accountable for delivering against those plans 5.They focus on the achievement of collective results

Q & A Resources Activities & games