Summary of best selling book. I see some of these traits in ortho companies today.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, outlined by Patrick Lencioni in his book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” are a framework that identifies the common pitfalls teams experience that prevent them from achieving their full potential. These dysfunctions are structured like a pyramid, with each one building on the other. Here’s a summary of the five dysfunctions:
- Absence of Trust
- Description: Team members are unwilling to be vulnerable within the group, leading to a lack of openness and trust. Without trust, team members fear being honest about their weaknesses, mistakes, and needs for help.
- Consequence: People withhold ideas, don’t share concerns, and hesitate to admit mistakes, hindering team collaboration and growth.
- Fear of Conflict
- Description: Without trust, team members avoid conflict because they fear it will lead to negative consequences. Healthy, productive debate and constructive conflict are necessary to ensure that all perspectives are considered.
- Consequence: Problems go unaddressed, and poor decisions are made because real issues are never discussed openly.
- Lack of Commitment
- Description: When team members avoid conflict, they don’t fully buy into decisions. This results in ambiguity and a lack of commitment to a clear course of action.
- Consequence: Team members may not be fully on board with goals or strategies, leading to inconsistent performance and half-hearted execution.
- Avoidance of Accountability
- Description: Without commitment, team members avoid holding each other accountable. There’s a reluctance to call out poor performance or behaviors that hurt the team’s overall effectiveness.
- Consequence: Mediocre performance is tolerated, which drags down the team’s overall success.
- Inattention to Results
- Description: When accountability is lacking, team members may prioritize personal success, ego, or status over the collective success of the team.
- Consequence: The team fails to achieve its goals because individual priorities take precedence over team goals and outcomes.
In essence, the five dysfunctions build on one another: without trust, there can be no healthy conflict; without conflict, there’s no commitment; without commitment, there’s no accountability; and without accountability, the team’s results suffer.