The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni emphasizes that teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage, yet it remains elusive in many organizations. He argues that while the concept of teamwork is simple, its execution is challenging due to inherent human behaviors. Lencioni states, 'If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.' This idea underscores the potential of cohesive teams to outperform competitors, but also highlights the difficulty in achieving such unity. Practical examples include the struggles of DecisionTech, a once-promising startup that faltered due to internal dysfunctions despite having top-tier talent and resources.

Patrick Lencioni emphasizes that teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage, yet it remains elusive in many organizations. He argues that while the concept of teamwork is simple, its execution is challenging due to inherent human behaviors. Lencioni states, 'If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.' This idea underscores the potential of cohesive teams to outperform competitors, but also highlights the difficulty in achieving such unity.

Once we achieve clarity and buy-in, it is then that we have to hold each other accountable for what we sign up to do, for high standards of performance and behavior. And as simple as that sounds, most executives hate to do it, especially when it comes to a peer’s behavior, because they want to avoid interpersonal discomfort.

Harmony itself is good, I suppose, if it comes as a result of working through issues constantly and cycling through conflict. But if it comes only as a result of people holding back their opinions and honest concerns, then it’s a bad thing.

Trust is the foundation of real teamwork. And so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another. And if that sounds touchy-feely, let me explain, because there is nothing soft about it. It is an absolutely critical part of building a team. In fact, it’s probably the most critical.

If a team doesn’t engage in constructive and ideological conflict and debate, it will fail to secure the full commitment of each member.

A team needs to be able to have a full-on intellectual debate around ideas, principles, approaches and strategies - and to put their cards confidently on the table.

Relational, vulnerability-based trust, means “I trust that I can share fear, failures and doubt with you and not have it used against me. I trust that you are on my side.”

Transactional trust is “I trust that you will do what you say”. That’s important, but the deeper issue relates to relational trust - which is at the core of the first dysfunction.

Not finance. Not strategy. And not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare.

Great teams do not hold back from one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.

Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.

Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they're doing it because they care about the team.

“Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.”

Remember, teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.

The fact remains that teams, because they are made up of imperfect human beings, are inherently dysfunctional.

Trust is the foundation of real teamwork. And so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another.

Teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.

The key is to make the collective ego greater than the individual ones.

Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry.

If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.

Building a strong team is both possible and remarkably simple. But it is painfully difficult.

If we don’t trust one another, then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict. And we’ll just continue to preserve a sense of artificial harmony.

Our job is to make the results that we need to achieve so clear to everyone in this room that no one would even consider doing something purely to enhance his or her individual status or ego.

All of you, every one of you, are responsible for sales. Not just JR. All of you are responsible for marketing. Not just Mikey.

Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.

Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. Without it, teamwork is all but impossible.

Once we achieve clarity and buy-in, it is then that we have to hold each other accountable for what we sign up to do, for high standards of performance and behavior.

If everything is important, then nothing is.

Great teams understand the danger of seeking consensus, and find ways to achieve buy-in even when complete agreement is impossible.

All great relationships, the ones that last over time, require productive conflict in order to grow.

First of all, I only have one priority at this point: we need to get our act together as a team, or we’re not going to be selling anything.

Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.

I want to assure you that there is only one reason that we are here at this off-site, and at the company: to achieve results.

A fractured team is just like a broken arm or leg; fixing it is always painful, and sometimes you have to rebreak it to make it heal correctly.

When everyone is focused on results and using those to define success, it is difficult for ego to get out of hand.

We aren’t going to leave any room for interpretation when it comes to our success, because that only creates the opportunity for individual ego to sneak in.

I’m going to set the number based on your input, and we are going to stick with that number.

I will be encouraging conflict, driving for clear commitments, and expecting all of you to hold each other accountable.

The team seemed as though they were embarrassed by having exposed themselves and were pretending that it had never happened at all.

It’s not about what I want. It’s about you. You have to decide what is more important: helping the team win or advancing your career.

We have more money, better technology, more talented and experienced executives, and yet we are behind our competitors.

Your first team has to be this one.

Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.

I don’t think you are a fit for this team. And I don’t think you really want to be here.

Building a team is hard.

I want you to stir things up.

I didn’t see Mikey being willing to adjust her behavior. And it was hurting the team. So I asked her to leave the company.

If it’s not a little uncomfortable, then it’s not real. The key is to keep doing it anyway.

My tolerance of his behavior. Listen, they fired the right person.

I don’t think I could handle going back to the way things were before. And so if it comes down to a little interpersonal discomfort versus politics, I’m opting for the discomfort.

I’ll stop making this speech when it’s no longer True. We are still behind two of our competitors. And we are still not where we need to be as a team.

A decision is better than no decision. It is better to make a decision boldly and be wrong—and then change direction with equal boldness—than it is to waffle.

The essence of this dysfunction is the unwillingness of team members to tolerate the interpersonal discomfort that accompanies calling a peer on his or her behavior.

When everyone is focused on results and using those to define success, it is difficult for ego to get out of hand. No matter how good an individual on the team might be feeling about his or her situation, if the team loses, everyone loses.