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· 97,912 ratings · 4,280 reviews

Start your review of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

Dec 03, 2008 Neil rated it it was amazing

I've been in corporate America for just under 4 years now. In my time, I've never really bought into the majority of management strategies I've seen because well, they blatantly do not work; and if they do, its at an absurd cost of employee retention, dissatisfaction and needless overwork.

Passive aggressiveness, no accountability, scared of conflict... I see it too often, and I'm constantly frustrated by it. And just when I thought I was alone, I read this book and was completely blown away. Everything I've felt, is here, written down in this book. Its quite extraordinary. I feel a bit like Jerry Mcguire did after writing his 'Mission Statement.' I want to buy copies of this book and put it in the mailboxes of management across corporate America. Unfortunately, one thing I've learned in life is you can't force people to change, they have to be willing and accepting to move forward on there own... or be forced by a higher hand. I can't force others who don't see it themselves, and as the low man on the totem pole, its a hard to play the upper hand. But dammit, at least I'll go down swinging, knowing I'm not alone.

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Five Dysfunctions of a Team
As a consultant who has worked with hundreds of teams in organizations large and small, I can attest that model outlined in "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is both accurate in it's root diagnosis of team dysfunctionalism, and is as pervasive as human nature itself. As with all of Lencioni's books, he opens with a fable and concludes with the model that is the basis for the story's solution. In the fable, a new CEO is confronted with a dysfunctional executive team and Five Dysfunctions of a Team
As a consultant who has worked with hundreds of teams in organizations large and small, I can attest that model outlined in "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is both accurate in it's root diagnosis of team dysfunctionalism, and is as pervasive as human nature itself. As with all of Lencioni's books, he opens with a fable and concludes with the model that is the basis for the story's solution. In the fable, a new CEO is confronted with a dysfunctional executive team and pressure from the board to execute a quick turn around. As she feels out how the current culture impacts collaboration, idea generation, and execution, the CEO gradually works through each stage of the Five Dysfunctions model to re-position the company for success.
The model in pyramid form:

Lack of trust: In this bottom stage, team members are hesitant to open up about their fears or insecurities about a project.

Fear of Conflict: Fearing retribution or political consequences, team members avoid rigorous debate over the issues and decisions that matter most. This can be reinforced by local legends: "The last time somebody challenged the boss's idea, he wasn't around for long afterwards." Healthy, constructive conflict – or candor – is key to surfacing the best ideas. Fear of conflict snuffs out the creative process.

Lack of Commitment: Lack of vigorous debate does not prevent decisions from being made. Low team involvement in how decisions are shaped and carried out leads to weak buy- in.

Avoidance of Accountability: When commitment is low, excuses are readily available when results are not achieved. "We all knew this was un-realistic to begin with, now you're going to hold us accountable?"

Inattention to Results: At this pinnacle stage, team members are investing valuable time and energy in the politics of self-protection. Obsessive email trails are stored for easy retrieval, stories are honed that explain where the break down occurred and by whom. It's every 'team' member for him or herself. The collective concept is crushed.

In highly functional teams the pyramid, inverted, is just as relevant: High levels of trust leads to healthy, constructive candor in the service of unearthing the best ideas. Fully engaged team members feel high levels of commitment, because while their particular idea may not have won, they're perspective was heard and respected. This feeds a focus on individual and collective accountability to achieve the goals agreed upon, which requires near total focus upon delivering results.

Lencioni captures the human essence of teamwork and connects the dots from trust to profit. Highly recommended.

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Mar 09, 2009 Jacob rated it it was ok

Bear with me. I am highly skeptical of models as methods versus tools (I will explain later) and of corporate literature. With that bias, this book would have been lucky to get three stars from me. Please keep that in mind.

What I mean by a model as a method versus a tool, is that when a model is presented to help people try and understand how something functions I have no problem with it. Meyers-Briggs personality test is a great example. Fun to take and compare with people and get an idea of where they come from. But if you are a borderline on any of the 4 pairs then depending on your mood you can easily have 2 even 4 different likely personality types. And there are 7 billion people in the world and only 16 types--they don't all fit in those 16 categories. When someone takes a model and tries to impose it on the world and say this is the way things are, then I balk.

Regarding corporate literature in general, I won't say that it is useless, because it certainly isn't, but it has only a fractional effect as compared to actually experiencing working in a good team or for a good leader. It can be helpful but pales beside a good leader pulling you aside to help you.

The "fable" itself? Actually not that bad for a teamwork book. The whole thing is stilted because it is wrapped around an agenda but on the good side it is short, easy to read, and decently written. And I honestly can't say the five points are wrong--I think they are all valid.

There are much worse teamwork or leadership books out there. If you have to read one, or are genuinely interested in this genre then pick it up. Otherwise I wouldn't use your valuable time. Two stars.

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This is another one of my "have to" and not "want to" reads. I would never even consider reading one of these types of books for fun, they are not my style at all. The information they contain is usually common sense stuff that people are aware of but unwilling or unable to incorporate into their day-to-day work lives. Most jobs are group based versus individual and even if you are in the mindset to make whatever changes that books like this deem necessary, it doesn't mean everyone else you work This is another one of my "have to" and not "want to" reads. I would never even consider reading one of these types of books for fun, they are not my style at all. The information they contain is usually common sense stuff that people are aware of but unwilling or unable to incorporate into their day-to-day work lives. Most jobs are group based versus individual and even if you are in the mindset to make whatever changes that books like this deem necessary, it doesn't mean everyone else you work with is.

Thankfully the author makes dry material into something tolerable by sharing his message in a story format and doesn't bog the book down with graphs, sample work sheets and quizzes. It's pretty basic and to the point with identifying problems and offering solutions. The length was acceptable as well as the writing style so I would place it a little higher on my Dull Jane shelf. I suppose if I had to recommend one of these things I would this one over quite a few others, especially if you wanted to know why your team sucked and how you could improve it.

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First line: "Only one person thought Kathryn was the right choice to become CEO of DecisionTech, Inc.

Summary: Lencioni identifies five problems with executive teams, which he presents through a story (fable) and then analyzes.

Spoilers! In as much as reference books can have spoilers.

First line: "Only one person thought Kathryn was the right choice to become CEO of DecisionTech, Inc.

Summary: Lencioni identifies five problems with executive teams, which he presents through a story (fable) and then analyzes.

Spoilers! In as much as reference books can have spoilers.

The 5 dysfunctions are:
1. Absence of trust. Where trust is comfort with showing vulnerability and admitting mistakes to teammates.
2. Fear of conflict. Teams need to be able to have passionate debate and walk away with no collateral damage. Lencioni describes a "false harmony" that is a sign of this.
3. Lack of commitment. Phoning it in rather than buying into the project. The key here is while not everyone gets their way, they should all be heard and their opinions considered and valued.
4. Avoidance of accountability. Here, they're talking about teammates being able to call each other on poor performance, rather than having all accountability done by the team leader.
5. Inattention to results. In particular, putting personal goals above team goals.

They seems like fine goals. I'm a little unclear how to achieve them, despite the suggestions in the back. I also feel like point 2 could easily be misconstrued. Permission to have passionate debate does not mean permission to be an asshole. Actually, I think Lencioni usually uses the term "argument," while I prefer "debate" because I think it frames the issue in a more civil way.

Anyway, it had some interesting thoughts, and it certainly was a quick read. The story was lousy for fiction, though great for a reference book, and it did illustrate the problems.

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How lovely if things were actually this simple.

Feb 26, 2013 Vam Norrison rated it did not like it

I'm relatively new to the corporate world and observe heavy reliance on inane hierarchical-pyramid models and very linear "cycles" designed to describe organizations, relationships, goals, processes, progress and, ultimately, success. 'Five Dysfunctions' is a great example. While I'd love to rip into this book's awkward narrative structure, cartoonish characters, and childish melodrama, I'm certain many already have. If this book is to be considered a fable, it is only for its oversimplification I'm relatively new to the corporate world and observe heavy reliance on inane hierarchical-pyramid models and very linear "cycles" designed to describe organizations, relationships, goals, processes, progress and, ultimately, success. 'Five Dysfunctions' is a great example. While I'd love to rip into this book's awkward narrative structure, cartoonish characters, and childish melodrama, I'm certain many already have. If this book is to be considered a fable, it is only for its oversimplification and pretensions to wisdom. Life is a messy, confusing thing. 'Five Dysfunctions' is no better than a toy compass on your journey through it. One redemptive, practical use for this book might be reading it with everyone in your dysfunctional group to provide a framework vocabulary to discuss real issues. (Also, if anyone has a passionate hatred for its structure and content, promote them.) ...more

Feb 18, 2017 محمد الملا rated it it was amazing

Simply, this book is "Must read books" list, I liked the story way to write the book, and the simple make Sense model of the five dysfunctions of teams

I already recommended this books to my friends, it's must read for every one

I will recommend that the reader should be ware of "Tuckman's stages of group development" which will put this book in the right context

Simply, this book is "Must read books" list, I liked the story way to write the book, and the simple make Sense model of the five dysfunctions of teams

I already recommended this books to my friends, it's must read for every one

I will recommend that the reader should be ware of "Tuckman's stages of group development" which will put this book in the right context

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forced to read this one for work. did some awful group work with it also. really not that helpful in a bullshit retail situation.

Was chosen for a work thing, then we all realized that it didn't apply to our group, because we actually aren't dysfunctional at all, so we scrapped our plan to discuss it and went skiing instead!
That being said, I did learn some very valuable lessons...ok, I didn't...but I did read it, at least. For the good of the team. Was chosen for a work thing, then we all realized that it didn't apply to our group, because we actually aren't dysfunctional at all, so we scrapped our plan to discuss it and went skiing instead!
That being said, I did learn some very valuable lessons...ok, I didn't...but I did read it, at least. For the good of the team. ...more

This is a one of the best business novels out there. I love the idea of introducing concepts through a storyline of a fictional organization. The only thing better would be if it were based on actual events that was told in story form.

Kathryn is a CEO who takes over a company struggling with its market share and profit. She has the courage to attack the difficult issues rarely losing her composure and delivers criticism in a way that it mostly encourages discussion and positive conflict. I cannot say I have come across any managers in corporate America who are effective as Kathryn. However, I am convinced she must exist amongst us in the real world. On the other hand I find the dysfunctions described in this short novel to be on point and rampant it manufacturing facilities and offices across the country. As difficult as it is to admit, I saw myself a couple of times in some of the characters. I still think it would be a tall order to effectively change the dynamics of work teams across this great country. We are a culture based on competition and individual success and it will be quite challenging to change that direction. Challenging but not impossible.

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Dec 03, 2016 C rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: team leaders

Recommended to C by: Traction

This identifies the causes of dysfunction in a team, and tells how to avoid them. It's astute, applicable guidance on improving a team's performance by improving behavior. The first part is a fable, and the second part is an explanation of the concepts.

It starts by saying that teamwork, more than products, tech, etc., make a company successful. Teamwork disintegrates if even one of the 5 dysfunctions is present. Teams succeed because they're exceedingly human. By acknowledging imperfections, the

I've heard this book mentioned several times over the years. I decided to finally read it after it was referenced in Traction.

Notes
5 Dysfunctions
Dysfunction 1: Absence of Trust
A team can't achieve results unless the members trust each other. Trust requires being vulnerable with each other (here, trust doesn't refer to being able to predict what a teammate will do, as in, "I trust Tom will do this."). Team members who aren't genuinely open about mistakes and weaknesses makes it impossible to build a foundation for trust. Healthy debate is a sign of trust.

Dysfunction 2: Fear of Conflict
Teams that lack trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered and passionate debate of ideas. Instead, they resort to veiled discussions and guarded comments. Open, constructive, ideological conflict is critical. What makes meetings boring is that they don't have conflict (movies are interesting because they have conflict, and so are meetings).

Dysfunction 3: Lack of Commitment
Without having aired opinions in debate, team members rarely buy in and commit to decisions, though they may feign agreement in meetings. People must weigh in before they can buy in, but it's OK to disagree and still commit.

Dysfunction 4: Avoidance of Accountability
Without committing to clear plan of action, even most focused and driven people often hesitate to call their peers on behaviors and actions that are counterproductive to good of team. People need to have bought into collective goals to hold each other accountable. When holding people accountable, assume they have the team's best interests in mind and are trying to be helpful, but still push them.

Dysfunction 5: Inattention to Results
Occurs when team members put individual needs (ego, career development, recognition) or divisions above collective goals of team. Must have clear, specific, actionable goals, and track fairly frequently (e.g., monthly). Everyone is responsible for meeting collective goals.

Viewed positively (opposites of dysfunctions)
1. Trust.
2. Engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas.
3. Commit to decisions and plans of actions.
4. Hold one another accountable for delivering against plans.
5. Focus on achievement of collective results.

How to avoid dysfunctions
Dysfunction 1: Build trust by sharing personality profiles (Myers Briggs), 360 degree feedback.

Dysfunction 2: Acknowledge conflict can be productive. Remind each other when conflict arises. Personality profiles tell how people handle conflict.

Dysfunction 3: Set deadlines for decisions. Use contingency and worst case analysis to overcome fear of wrong decision.

Dysfunction 4: Publish goals and standards. Have regular progress reviews and feedback. Have rewards at team level, not individual.

Dysfunction 5: Make results clear and public, and reward only those behaviors and actions that contribute to those results. Tie rewards, especially compensation, to team results.

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Jan 26, 2015 Tania Lukinyuk rated it really liked it

Skeptical business book reader, I had zero expectations from this book. I only took it because it was less than 150 pages and was recommended by two people whose opinion I respected.

I am happy to admit that I was wrong. The book is written as a story of new leader coming to an IT company with poorly acting management team. The way she managed her new team members - very different, often contradicting and conflicting with each other or working in their silos - is great learning process on effect

Skeptical business book reader, I had zero expectations from this book. I only took it because it was less than 150 pages and was recommended by two people whose opinion I respected.

Grandly recommended.

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Mar 16, 2022 Oceana rated it really liked it

Very fun way of explaining his theory of the aspects of a dysfunctional team and how to work on correcting them. Major teamwork piece. Very informative and useful to bring into my new job!

I read this book 10 years ago when it was first released. Back then I was at a point in my career where the lessons of this book were not really applicable to my circumstances. I decided to give it another read as I remembered it to be a good book and since its release it has also gained a reputation as one of the better books on the topics of Leadership and Organizational Development.

The book tells a story to illustrate the dysfunctions using the setting of an executive team in a fictitious com

The book tells a story to illustrate the dysfunctions using the setting of an executive team in a fictitious company. This resonated with me as I am now part of an executive team of similar makeup. The five dysfunctions are not rocket science and the book does not propose them to be such. The real value of the book comes in walking through each dysfunction and understanding what the negative impacts of each are and on the flipside the benefits which curing each can bring.

No company or team is perfect; there will always be dysfunction to some level. This book offers a good yardstick against which a team can measure itself and set goals for improvement.

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Feb 19, 2012 Jamie rated it did not like it

I'm so sad that this is the first book I've finished in 2012. It was chosen for a book study at school. It's an easy read, and has some very good points and good information for team building. But, books like this are just annoying to me. I'm not a fan of fables. It feels condescending. They just aren't my thing.

Kathryn takes over as CEO of a software company and works to rebuild the leadership team of vice-presidents. She ruffles feathers, but ultimately prevails in building a cohesive, goal-or

Kathryn takes over as CEO of a software company and works to rebuild the leadership team of vice-presidents. She ruffles feathers, but ultimately prevails in building a cohesive, goal-oriented team by focusing the team on the five main dysfunctions that are keeping the company from realizing its potential.

But I think the most annoying detail is that the company is located in the Silicon Valley, specifically Half Moon Bay. Ummm...Half Moon Bay is a tiny coastal farming community and is south of the Bay area, closer to Santa Cruz. Bad author! LOL

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Mar 29, 2017 Sarina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Sarina by: My 2nd eldest sis and her husband

Certainly a guide most of us are in dire need of or everyone should at least read once. It's necessary for teams or groups not just in the corporate world, but I think in all areas, even in university or school level.
The translation by Farjana Mobin, and Onnorokom Prokashoni was just amazing.
It's like I have become a part of Katheryn's team myself.

Hats off to the translating team for bringing such an important book to the attention of the people of this country and hats off to the author for w

Hats off to the translating team for bringing such an important book to the attention of the people of this country and hats off to the author for writing so clearly.

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Aug 06, 2019 Grekz M rated it it was amazing

I liked this book a lot. I was entertained during the entire read.

Trust your teammates. Don't run away from conflict. Commit. Make yourself and teammates accountable. Focus on team goals over individual goals.

I liked this book a lot. I was entertained during the entire read.

Trust your teammates. Don't run away from conflict. Commit. Make yourself and teammates accountable. Focus on team goals over individual goals.

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Feb 26, 2021 Justas Butkus rated it really liked it

The techniques portion leaves a bit to be desired. Although it's clear that the author tries to show the simplicity of the underlying ideas - the proverbial devil remains in the details.

The short story is just fascinating. Building on the mechanisms pioneered by Goldratt it builds up tension, makes situations feel relatable and leaves wanting for more of the same.

It is an easy read and it certainly have interesting point.

As for stating it is a fable it is a surprisingly poor piece of literature viewed from the fiction side - which it claim to be stating that it is a fable. It does however do its job in the sense of illustrating points. I am however in doubt as to if it really enables the reader to implement any of this in real life - it might inspire useful discussions and it could be argued that that's the purpose?

It is an easy read and it certainly have interesting point.

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Jul 08, 2017 Rita rated it it was amazing

"In the context of building a team, trust is the confidence among team members that their peers' intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group. In essence, teammates must get comfortable being vulnerable with one another."

This.

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This is the best business book I've read, which is to say, it wasn't complete garbage. This is the best business book I've read, which is to say, it wasn't complete garbage. ...more

Thought it was an interesting, helpful, and fun read. Pretty quick to get through as well.

Jan 24, 2020 Jacquelin rated it it was amazing

This book is as incredible as I'd heard. I bought it without intending to, (long story), but as always - the Universe was actually putting something in front of me I needed. When I picked it up to read months later, it was the perfect time. Somewhat unfortunately, all the lessons made so much sense because I'd seen them all play out. I look forward to using what I gained from this book moving forward in my professional career. I highly recommend! This book is as incredible as I'd heard. I bought it without intending to, (long story), but as always - the Universe was actually putting something in front of me I needed. When I picked it up to read months later, it was the perfect time. Somewhat unfortunately, all the lessons made so much sense because I'd seen them all play out. I look forward to using what I gained from this book moving forward in my professional career. I highly recommend! ...more

Usually books about leadership, teamwork, and organizational culture bore me to death, but this one is different; I finished it in around two hours, and it was an interesting read all the way through. As the description notes, Lencioni crafts a fictional but realistic story around a high-tech Silicon Valley startup in crisis: although they have better technology, expertise, and initial investments, in recent months they have been rapidly ceding their advantage to competitors. A new CEO renowned Usually books about leadership, teamwork, and organizational culture bore me to death, but this one is different; I finished it in around two hours, and it was an interesting read all the way through. As the description notes, Lencioni crafts a fictional but realistic story around a high-tech Silicon Valley startup in crisis: although they have better technology, expertise, and initial investments, in recent months they have been rapidly ceding their advantage to competitors. A new CEO renowned for her experience in building teams is brought in to shake things up; the story revolves around her dealings with the various personalities within the company and her attempts to steer the company around.

The five dysfunctions of a team outlined in this book are quite simple, and their results are also outlined:

1.) Absence of trust LEADS TO need for invulnerability
2.) Fear of conflict LEADS TO fear of conflict
3.) Lack of commitment LEADS TO ambiguity
4.) Avoidance of accountability LEADS TO low standards
5.) Inattention to results LEADS TO individual status and ego over the team

I'm not going to go into too much detail here; read the book. Many of us have seen and been part of touchy feely team-building exercises. Chances are they work for a little while, and then we settle back into our old habits. Lencioni even admits that "while there are certainly some benefits derived from rigorous and creative outdoor activities involving collective support and cooperation, those benefits do not always translate directly to the working world."

But he contends that it is teamwork - not finance, not strategy, not technology - that is the ultimate competitive advantage, because it is at once so powerful and so rare. So it's worthwhile to focus on building one properly if you have a group of highly skilled people who have to constantly work together. (This emphasis on teambuilding might not be relevant for short term "hot groups" that are just put together for short durations to get a task done and then disbanded afterwards).

This storytelling approach works wonders for material that might otherwise be too fluffy or abstract; I was under the impression that it was a bunch of short fictional examples to depict specific concepts, but I was pleasantly surprised at the long continuous tale. Its uninterrupted length gives the reader an opportunity to relate to the various characters within the story, and keeps him/her engaged throughout. Indeed, I immediately began to associate those fictional characters to past team members in the real world: the insufferable know-it-all, the socially inept and tactless, the genius introverts, the awesome dude that fills whatever role that needs doing to get the job done. They're all here.

On a personal level, I also recognized my own personal dysfunctions in team situations, and will seek to work on them in the future. Two examples:

1.) On many teams, I just want to get my stuff done, without regard for the performance of the overall team. Putting the individual ego aside is tough to do without someone holding you accountable.
2.) I actively avoid interpersonal conflict, even when it would be prudent and constructive to engage in it. It's a character flaw.

In summary, I highly recommend the book. It's a super easy read, simple but engaging (a difficult thing to pull off), and very relevant if you spend any time slogging it out with a group of individuals instead of working as a team. I'm sure we've all been there.

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Oct 09, 2015 Jim B rated it liked it

3 stars means "liked it." This book contains a lot of wisdom, some of which is counter-intuitive for some people who've never worked on a positive team. For example, the first dysfunction -- lack of trust -- is hindered by the need to be invincible and helped when people learn to be vulnerable, to "trust that their peers' intentions are good and there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group." Some people will read those words and think that there is no group of people where the 3 stars means "liked it." This book contains a lot of wisdom, some of which is counter-intuitive for some people who've never worked on a positive team. For example, the first dysfunction -- lack of trust -- is hindered by the need to be invincible and helped when people learn to be vulnerable, to "trust that their peers' intentions are good and there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group." Some people will read those words and think that there is no group of people where they do not have to be protective or careful, and that will keep them from building the necessary trust for a good team.

I don't believe that revealing the 5 dysfunctions is a spoiler -- you have to read the book to get the full logic and impact, and to discover their roots and their treatment. So here are Lencioni's Five Dysfunctions:
1. Absence of trust
2. Fear of conflict
3. Lack of commitment
4. Avoidance of accountability
5. Inattention to results

Reading other reviews, I know that the story format is a popular feature of this book. I realized, however, that I've read this book before (about 6 - 8 years ago) and the story hasn't stayed with me. The most useful information came from the pyramid diagram in the story, and the points made in the end section of the book.

Having served on several teams, but especially parish teams, I think that there are a few parts of the book that aren't emphasized enough for a church that reads the book. Unlike a business team, the church team in my religion is not a top down hierarchy. Human nature would like to have its way, of course, and most business books like this one emphasize a form of leadership that can easily slip into the "lording it over" the members of the congregation. In the same section where he condemns consensus building, Lencioni does emphasize the need for "buy in" among team members. What a business book fails to tell parish leaders is that the congregation needs some of that "buy in." Although the dysfunctions described in this book harm churches far more than pushy leaders, a church functions in a spiritual realm and our message is discredited when a few people who believe they know best (and don't care about their fellow congregation members to share their vision of what that "best" is) start making unilateral decisions. Just as Lencioni points out that a strong leader can create an accountability vacuum in a team by becoming "the only source of discipline" (page 215) so a strong leadership team that doesn't see their connection to the congregation can create situations where debate within the congregation is suppressed (despite Lencioni's admonition that debate is healthy) and the "collective wisdom" concept is limited to the leaders and never sought from the "rank and file" members who have a stake in church matters and much wisdom as well.

Although I agree that the principles in this book need to be understood by every leader, I wish that a similar book existed that addresses the tensions of leadership in a spiritual setting. In a congregation members are not customers nor the leadership team, and yet they are stakeholders and the Christ's people.

I agree with the principles, but when I line them up with what Jesus wants of leaders, I feel like something is missing, including warnings about how business leadership is different spiritual leadership and advice that builds the whole body of Christ, not only a leadership team that is united in its decisions.

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I've been hesitant to read business-oriented books in the past. I've laid out my reasons why in a separate blog post. When I was invited to participate in a book club at work and read and discuss the business book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team I was thrilled to participate, but my excitement was more in being able to interact with other leaders and not as much regarding the book itself. Happily, I found some value in the book and would be willing to recommend it to the others.

The first red fla

The first red flag that went up when I was introduced to the book was the subtitle: "A Leadership Fable." I immediately thought of Who Moved My Cheese? and the fable it is intended to be. That book, in my opinion, is so juvenile it's barely worth reading. (In fact, I don't really think it is worth reading). I was worried The Five Dysfunctions would also take the simplistic to the point of offense route. Although The Five Dysfunctions is simply written (don't expect Dickens here), I would not consider it a simple book. I fully admit that the book club interaction I had at work helped tremendously in assisting me to glean meaning and lessons from the book. Yet, I do believe there are lessons to be learned here even in the absence of having a team or club to interact with while reading the book. The fiction in this case, as opposed to something like Who Moved My Cheese?, was surprisingly effective. It was applicable without being infantile.

Inevitably, The Five Dysfunctions posits its own "secret sauce" of teamwork along with the supreme obstacles to achieving it (hence the five dysfunctions). Reading this book wasn't exactly a revelatory experience, but it does provide some additional insights I had not considered to the fullest extent. If any one author truly has found the "secret sauce" of business, teamwork, or whatever else, there would probably be far less business books to peruse and digest. I believe in the power of ideas, however, and The Five Dysfunctions give some tasty food for thought.

In the end, I was pleasantly (albeit mildly) surprised by The Five Dysfunctions. I didn't find it pretentious, as I do many business books. (Thankfully the author didn't recommend I had to read his book multiple times in a year in order to truly appreciate it!). Teamwork, effective and efficient teamwork, is desperately sought after in almost all businesses, whether its a call center or an emergency room staff. There is some good information to be found here, and it's worth a read.

http://thethousanderclub.blogspot.com/

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This is a story about a team of executives who are suffering from five dysfunctions that have pretty much crippled them. As repeated a few times in the book, they should be doing great. They have more money, a better product and more promise than their competitors, but they are failing. The heroine is Kathryn, the new CEO brought in to turn them and the company around.

Told as a story, this is a pretty good method of teaching what the dysfunctions are while giving examples of what they look like

Told as a story, this is a pretty good method of teaching what the dysfunctions are while giving examples of what they look like in team dynamics. I enjoyed it for the most part, but it slowed down about halfway through. Some of the interactions of the team were a little predictable.

I didn't much care for the questionnaire. What good is it if you can't make copies to actually take the questionnaire? They can't expect folks to mark up their copy of the book, can they? The end part that talks about how to put the dysfunctions into use is also a bit unhelpful, because it changes from advice to examples of how the dysfunctions might manifest to reasons why putting the changes in place would be difficult (without any tips on how to make it less so). Basically, the end matter isn't all that consistent.

While all of this is good stuff, the thing I get out of this is that for a team to make these changes, they're going to have to be taught the dysfunctions and monitored/mentored by someone who knows the dysfunctions inside and out. It's not one of those books that one person alone can read and then transform into lasting change.

Then again, someone could read this and look for things they do when interacting with their teams. It might help one recognize if they were contributing to one or more of the dysfunctions, perhaps even help them understand why they might have trouble working with others or why certain people on their teams are unliked, despite putting out quality work.

So, I liked this. It isn't earthshattering, but it has a solid story, a good example of a team turning around, and a short list of actions that can make or break a team's success. I'd recommend it to folks who enjoy reading books about teamwork, and those who'd rather get their team advice via a story rather than a manual.

I borrowed the review copy of this book.

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Feb 02, 2022 Al rated it liked it

Patrick Lencioni is one of the best selling business authors and this is one of his most famous books. I have read him before. I also noticed he was probably the most prolific author on the shelf the last time I perused used books at Half Price.

He calls his style "business fables" which is a story that is about 150 pages long and then 70 or so pages of explanation

The positive is that even if Lencioni is no Raymond Chandler, it hooks the reader better than a text book would. The draw back is th

He calls his style "business fables" which is a story that is about 150 pages long and then 70 or so pages of explanation

The positive is that even if Lencioni is no Raymond Chandler, it hooks the reader better than a text book would. The draw back is the plot is fictional so some readers may be apt to think the characters aren't behaving in a realistic way

I had no major qualms with this book. The fictional story kept my interest. The topic itself is very important (as the many sales attest).

My biggest gripe is probably that the Five dysfunctions are the least memorable thing about the book. There's good content and generally the point of a book like this is for a book group discussion but as it stands, I'm not sure I could name the five (though I certainly got the concepts of the book).

The problem of business books is that economic realities tend to get in the way of fictional ideas. Though here, the ideas are generally strong enough to apply to most any company of any size.

I think even pre-pandemic, budgets for team activities were the first thing to cut. It is an interesting point to ponder. It seems like the most superfluous of expenses and yet as Lencioni illustrates, without a team dynamic, how far is a company able to go.

For business concepts, it's hard to beat the hook of this book, too and it's solid advice. Reading the book itself won't solve everything but it might help you recognize some things, and suggest a start that will get you on the right path.

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Patrick Lencioni is a New York Times best-selling author, speaker, consultant and founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping organizations become healthy. Lencioni's ideas around leadership, teamwork and employee engagement have impacted organizations around the globe. His books have sold nearly three million copies worldwide.

When Lencioni is not writing, he consults to

When Lencioni is not writing, he consults to CEOs and their executive teams, helping them to become more cohesive within the context of their business strategy. The widespread appeal of Lencioni's leadership models have yielded a diverse base of clients, including a mix of Fortune 500 companies, professional sports organizations, the military, non-profits, universities and churches. In addition, Lencioni speaks to thousands of leaders each year at world class organizations and national conferences. He was recently cited in the Wall Street Journal as one of the most sought-after business speakers in the nation.

Prior to founding his firm, he worked as a corporate executive for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. He also served on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America.

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Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21343.The_Five_Dysfunctions_of_a_Team

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