Every team has a universal goal for success. Every team desires to operate at optimum performance. Through a fictional account, Patrick Lencioni illustrates how talented teams fail to be successful. Lencioni identifies five defective traits of that will impede upon the achievement of teams. Additionally, Lencioni offers ways to remedy the situation. By careful examination of Lencioni’s tale and principles, a team leader will be better equipped to ward off the habits that seek to derail the team’s success.
The Fable Lencioni introduces the reader to Kathryn Peterson, an accomplished leader who was selected to turn around an under-achieving company, DecisionTech. DecisionTech was a promising up-and-coming- tech company with an incredibly …show more content…
Each line represents a principle that encourages dysfunction within a team. As Kathryn walks her team through each principle, she reinforced her message with an exercise aimed at applying the precept to her team. As the executive team navigates through each of the five principles, the team grows into a cohesive unit. Although a team member was not able to make the transition that Kathryn initiated and the process took time, overall Kathryn was successful in transforming a dysfunctional executive team into a high performance team.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team The success of an organization is determined by the success of the teams within the organization. Generally, individuals believe that talent alone will ensure success. The misunderstanding is that a group of gifted individuals is the same as a team. Through introducing the five dysfunctions of a team, Lencioni articulates the downfall of many teams. The five dysfunctions are illustrated through the image of a triangle. Thus, each subsequent dysfunction is built upon and is a result of the proceeding dysfunction.
Absence of …show more content…
Lencioni (2002) contends, “The two greatest causes of the lack of commitment are the desire for consensus and the need for certainty” (p. 207). In other words, attempting to have every team member in complete agreement and only making decisions with absolute certainty is a recipe for team members to shy away from responsibility. Consequently, failure to establish trust, which results in a lack of open debate leads to team members to not fully commit to the decision. An essential component to overcome a lack of commitment is to review the decision and how that affects each team member’s department. Further, it should be clearly stated how items should be communicated to each team member’s direct reports. By reviewing the various aspects of the decision it will assist in making sure each team member understands what is expected. Another important strategy is to incorporate deadlines and to develop emergency plans. Through establishing deadlines, it keeps the team on track. Further, developing emergency plans will give reluctant team members a safety net to aid in their buy-in. A leader must not be afraid to make the wrong decision. The other team members are looking to the leader to demonstrate confidence and the assurance that, if the decision is incorrect, everything will be
The Fable Lencioni introduces the reader to Kathryn Peterson, an accomplished leader who was selected to turn around an under-achieving company, DecisionTech. DecisionTech was a promising up-and-coming- tech company with an incredibly …show more content…
Each line represents a principle that encourages dysfunction within a team. As Kathryn walks her team through each principle, she reinforced her message with an exercise aimed at applying the precept to her team. As the executive team navigates through each of the five principles, the team grows into a cohesive unit. Although a team member was not able to make the transition that Kathryn initiated and the process took time, overall Kathryn was successful in transforming a dysfunctional executive team into a high performance team.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team The success of an organization is determined by the success of the teams within the organization. Generally, individuals believe that talent alone will ensure success. The misunderstanding is that a group of gifted individuals is the same as a team. Through introducing the five dysfunctions of a team, Lencioni articulates the downfall of many teams. The five dysfunctions are illustrated through the image of a triangle. Thus, each subsequent dysfunction is built upon and is a result of the proceeding dysfunction.
Absence of …show more content…
Lencioni (2002) contends, “The two greatest causes of the lack of commitment are the desire for consensus and the need for certainty” (p. 207). In other words, attempting to have every team member in complete agreement and only making decisions with absolute certainty is a recipe for team members to shy away from responsibility. Consequently, failure to establish trust, which results in a lack of open debate leads to team members to not fully commit to the decision. An essential component to overcome a lack of commitment is to review the decision and how that affects each team member’s department. Further, it should be clearly stated how items should be communicated to each team member’s direct reports. By reviewing the various aspects of the decision it will assist in making sure each team member understands what is expected. Another important strategy is to incorporate deadlines and to develop emergency plans. Through establishing deadlines, it keeps the team on track. Further, developing emergency plans will give reluctant team members a safety net to aid in their buy-in. A leader must not be afraid to make the wrong decision. The other team members are looking to the leader to demonstrate confidence and the assurance that, if the decision is incorrect, everything will be