Overcoming Dysfunctions in Teams: Lessons from Patrick Lencioni’s “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”
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 ― Patrick Lencioni.
But why are teams so dysfunctional? The answer is simple: teams consist of individuals with different interests, goals, strengths, and weaknesses.
Patrick Lencioni in his “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” book reveals the Five Dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones often struggle. Those Five Dysfunctions are placed in a pyramid and are hierarchical. Without building a strong foundation on the bottom, there is no achieving the higher goals.
Patrick Lencioni addresses five questions that needs to be answered by each team:
- Do your team members openly and readily disclose their opinions?
- Are your team meetings compelling and productive?
- Does your team come to decisions quickly and avoid getting bogged down by consensus?
- Do your team members confront one another about their shortcomings?
- Do your team members sacrifice their own interests for the good of the team?
If you’ve answered at least one “no” to any of these questions — actions need to be taken.
The “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni is a well-known model for understanding and addressing the common challenges faced by teams. As mentioned before, the model highlights five key areas where teams often struggle, leading to dysfunction and decreased performance. In this post, we’ll explore each of these dysfunctions, provide real-world examples from a scrum team, and offer practical solutions for overcoming these issues.
Absence of Trust
Building trust is crucial for effective teamwork, however, it can be difficult to establish due to a lack of a clear definition and individuals’ hesitance to admit their weaknesses. Without trust, team members may struggle to be transparent and vulnerable with each other, leading to a lack of collaboration. For example, in a scrum team where trust is low, team members may be reluctant to raise concerns or admit mistakes, leading to a culture of blame and a failure to identify and address problems.
To tackle this challenge, team members, starting with the leader, should work towards creating a culture of trust through open communication and vulnerability. This can be achieved through practices such as regular check-ins, team-building activities, and fostering a safe and accepting environment where team members feel comfortable sharing their opinions and ideas.
Building trust is a critical element in creating a high-performing Scrum team. Patrick Lencioni suggests two effective exercises for building trust within a team, including the “Personal Histories Exercise” and “Behavioural Profiling.”
Fear of Conflict
“Good conflict” refers to open and productive discussions about matters that impact the success of an organization or a team. However, this type of conflict is rare, as many teams strive for superficial harmony by sidestepping tough issues. On the other hand, some teams waste valuable time and energy managing conflicts that come across as personal attacks, manipulating conversations, and striving to emerge victorious in arguments, instead of finding practical solutions to problems. In a scrum team, this can manifest in a lack of productive discussions and disagreements, leading to a lack of progress and poor outcomes.
There are several ways to overcome the fear of conflict dysfunction, including:
- Encouraging healthy debate: Teams should be encouraged to engage in healthy debate and passionate discussions about issues that impact the organization. This fosters open communication and helps to build trust within the team.
- Fostering a culture of accountability: Team members should be held accountable for their actions and be expected to own up to their mistakes. This helps to create a culture of trust and eliminates the fear of conflict.
- Prioritizing results over personalities: Teams should focus on finding solutions to problems, rather than winning arguments or preserving personal relationships. This helps to shift the focus away from personal conflicts and towards achieving results.
- Encouraging transparency: Teams should be encouraged to be open and transparent with each other, even when discussing sensitive or difficult issues. This helps to create a safe and accepting environment where team members feel comfortable discussing their opinions and ideas.
Lack of Commitment
Team commitment doesn’t mean everyone must agree, but rather a willingness to accept a decision even if there’s no agreement. To foster commitment, two important elements — acceptance and clarity — are crucial. It’s a widely held misconception that people are only willing to accept a decision if it aligns with their own suggestions. However, the reality is that people are more likely to buy in to a decision if their ideas have been taken into consideration and the reasoning behind the final decision has been clearly explained. This is a fundamental aspect for leaders to cultivate commitment within their teams.
Teams that lack commitment struggle to make decisions and move forward collectively. In a scrum team, this can be seen in team members who are not fully committed to the team’s goals, leading to a lack of accountability and poor results.
To tackle this challenge you can follow these suggestions:
- Building buy-in: Leaders should involve team members in the decision-making process and make sure their ideas are taken into consideration.
- Providing clarity: Teams need a clear understanding of the goals, expectations, and roles in order to be fully committed. Leaders should make sure that team members understand the reasoning behind decisions and the outcomes that are expected.
- Encouraging active participation: Teams are more likely to be committed when they are actively involved in the decision-making process. Leaders should encourage team members to share their opinions and ideas and make sure they feel heard.
- Fostering accountability: Teams need to be held accountable for their actions and be expected to take ownership of their decisions. This helps to increase commitment and foster a culture of accountability.
- Celebrating successes: Teams are more likely to be committed when they see the results of their efforts. Leaders should celebrate successes and acknowledge the contributions of team members to increase commitment and build morale.
Avoidance of Accountability
This book defines accountability as the ability of team members to hold each other accountable for meeting the group’s performance expectations and decisions. Effective teams do not solely rely on their leader for accountability, but instead, rely on each other’s motivation to perform and the desire to avoid letting their teammates down. In a scrum team, this can be seen in a lack of follow-through on commitments and a failure to hold team members accountable for their responsibilities.
According to Patrick Lencioni, the avoidance of accountability dysfunction can be overcome by establishing clarity and agreement around the team’s objectives and goals, and ensuring that every team member understands their specific role in achieving those objectives. The team should hold each other accountable through regular check-ins and open communication, providing feedback and support when necessary. It is also essential to create a culture of trust and psychological safety, where team members feel comfortable raising issues and concerns without fear of retribution. Finally, leaders must model the behavior they want to see in their team by demonstrating their accountability and encouraging their team to do the same.
Inattention to Results
Teams that are inattentive to results prioritize individual interests over the collective good, leading to suboptimal performance and a lack of progress. In a scrum team, this can be seen in a lack of focus on delivering results, leading to a lack of progress and poor outcomes.
To overcome this issue, teams should ensure that they have a clear understanding of the desired outcomes and prioritize achieving those results over personal or individual goals. The team should establish measurable goals and regularly track progress toward them, ensuring that every team member is aware of their role in achieving the outcomes. Effective communication and collaboration are critical, and team members should be encouraged to challenge one another and hold each other accountable for delivering results. Leaders should also model this behavior by prioritizing results over individual achievements and regularly reinforcing the importance of achieving the team’s goals.
In conclusion, Lencioni’s “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” framework is a valuable tool for recognizing and addressing the common issues faced by teams. By identifying and proactively tackling these dysfunctions, teams can build trust, enhance collaboration, foster commitment, promote accountability, and focus on results, resulting in improved performance and outcomes. Regular communication, check-ins, team-building exercises, and cultivating a culture of responsibility and accountability can help teams to overcome these challenges and achieve their objectives. Ultimately, addressing these dysfunctions can lead to building a high performing team.
