The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Key Takeaways & Review

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Each member of an orchestra is a master of his or her instrument. But proper orchestral intent does not depend solely on individual brilliance. It takes the coordinated efforts and actions of the ensemble to create a symphony that captivates an audience.

An orchestra is one of the best examples of an effective team. Business leaders can follow the example of an orchestra conductor to create a team that values ​​individual talent and drives collective efforts toward worthwhile endeavors.

However, building a functional team is also about being aware of the dysfunctions that can plague a team, and what better way to understand this than by breaking down Patrick Lencioni’s legendary work The Five Dysfunctions of a Team . In this summary of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , we’ll highlight the key takeaways for you as a team leader and some of our favorite sections from the book.
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Book Summary at a Glance
Patrick Lencioni is an American author credited with numerous books on media directors email list management, executive team dynamics , and organizational health. He is also the founder of The Tabla Group, a management consulting firm focused primarily on helping executive teams build healthier organizations and cohesive teams.

In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , he introduces the fictional character of Kathryn Petersen, a 57-year-old executive named the new CEO of a young Silicon Valley company, DecisionTech.

In this leadership fable, Kathryn, a seasoned executive, has an exceptional talent for building teams. Through Kathryn, Lencioni tells us about the five dysfunctions of a team that drain team efforts, discourage employees, and prevent the team from reaching its full potential for collective results.

The protagonist presents the five dysfunctions of a team in the form of a pyramid with five interconnected levels.

The author lists five simple questions that business leaders should ask themselves to assess the level of team dysfunction:

Do team members express their opinions openly and without problems?
Are team meetings engaging and productive?
Does the team make decisions quickly and avoid getting bogged down in consensus or peer pressure?
Do team members confront each other over their shortcomings?
Do team members sacrifice their personal interests for the good of the team?