Just a few years ago, Patrick Lencioni hit a philosophical nail on the head with his bestselling offering, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable.” In his book he identified the key elements that lead to success and failure in a team environment.
Analyzing the “Five Dysfunctions of a Team”
Patrick Lencioni uses excellent examples and philosophies within his book to present the five most common pitfalls and failures within team activity. With focus and genuine desire, these problems can be seen with a new perspective – as positive potential. The following five elements are listed as an inverted pyramid, the most important and foundational element coming first.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Absence of Trust
How can a team grow and thrive when team members don't trust one another? We've all felt the sting of betrayal before, and often such behavior is found within a team environment. Team members, in a way, are like an extended family. They must be open with one another, addressing all issues that need to be addressed. There's nothing wrong with admitting a weakness or shortcoming, or recognizing a mistake and immediately owning up to it. Such behavior isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of strength and security that you understand your role on the team and will strive towards your full potential. Offering grace and forgiveness for mistakes is also a way to gain trust and build a very trustworthy environment for a team.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Fear of Conflict
Many good ideas may go unheard because of fear of conflict. Some team members may have an idea that is good for the same reason that it is controversial - they have a new, previously unexplored perspective. If team members are afraid to bring up their radical ideas though, they will remain unexplored.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Lack of Commitment
If everyone on the team is not fully committed, you won't get anywhere. The purpose of the team is to produce better ideas through collective intelligence than individual intelligence. If members aren't committed to fighting for their ideas, the best ideas won't rise to the top.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Avoidance of Accountability
In a team environment, it's tempting for everyone to blame the other guy if something goes wrong. It's important that everyone on the team knows what their responsibilities are and can own up to their own mistakes. It's even more important to move past blame and focus on solutions rather than worry about whose fault something was.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Inattention to Results
How good is a team that isn't results-oriented? It's easy to become married to an idea, but when the idea isn't working, it's time to adjust fire. A team must be able to create and test hypotheses, then create new ones based on their results. This is the only way for a team to function effectively.
The Solution to Team Dysfunction - Positive Adventures, LLC.
So now that you know everything that can go wrong with your team, what can you do about it? A great way to address team dysfunction is through Positive Adventures, LLC. challenge courses and interactive workshops. These activities are led by trained professionals who take every member of your team through exercises designed to weed out these team dysfunctions, identify them for the team and correct them in a fun, natural environment. Positive Adventures, LLC. is a great, fun way to turn a dysfunctional team into a highly functional one.
