How well does your team function? Is it hitting on all cylinders, or does it need a tuneup (or even an overhaul)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTeamwork\u201d is one of the most common buzzwords in the modern business world. But, what does it actually mean, and how do you foster it? In Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/em>, Patrick Lencioni answers those questions and teaches you how to turn a group of individuals into a true team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue reading for an overview of this book that every manager should read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of\u00a0Shortform\u2019s guide to team-building<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/em><\/a> is a follow-up to Lencioni\u2019s 2002 business fable The Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/em><\/a>. While the earlier work focused on identifying the problems that stop people from working together effectively, Overcoming<\/em> teaches you how to solve those problems and explains why, according to Lencioni, all teamwork must begin with trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni<\/a> is an author, speaker, and renowned business consultant specializing in leadership and business management. He\u2019s also co-founder and president of The Table Group<\/a>, which specializes in executive team development and organizational well-being. Lencioni\u2019s books about business and leadership have sold millions of copies worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll start by briefly explaining Lencioni\u2019s definition of team<\/em> and why not all groups can or should be teams. We\u2019ll then discuss each of the titular five dysfunctions\u2014distrust, lack of healthy disagreements, disunity, fear of accountability, and self-interest\u2014and explore how you can surmount them to build a cohesive, effective team<\/a>. Although this book is targeted at managers and executives (in other words, people responsible for building and running teams), its insights about teamwork and trust<\/a> can benefit anyone who works closely with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n (Shortform note: Lencioni\u2019s book is arguably organized logically: He begins with an overview of the five dysfunctions, then further explores each in the order in which you should address them (for instance, overcoming the dysfunction of distrust first, as trust is necessary for addressing the other four dysfunctions). We\u2019ve woven his descriptions of the five dysfunctions into their respective sections for clarity and ease of reading.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni starts by giving his definition of a team: a group of <\/strong>up to 12 people who come together and work collectively to meet shared objectives and put the group’s needs above their own.<\/strong> He adds that smaller teams are often the most effective, and you should rarely\u2014if ever\u2014try to make a team larger than a dozen people. Groups larger than that have too many opportunities for interpersonal conflicts, making it exponentially more difficult to arrive at decisions they all agree with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni notes that it\u2019s very difficult to get people to go against their selfish instincts and work toward collective goals. He suggests tackling this problem by creating a timeline of specific team-building activities and objectives. This team-building process<\/a> should be designed so team members will get to know each other, learn to trust one another, and (as much as possible) break their habit of focusing on themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni warns that people are likely to resist these team-building activities at first; team members will complain that they\u2019re annoying and a waste of time. Therefore, explain that team-building exercises are an investment.<\/strong> Any time and resources you spend now will pay off many times over in the long run because of your improved teamwork.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve covered the basics of team building, let\u2019s explore the five dysfunctions related to building a strong team<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni says that any great team is grounded in trust. However, in this case, trust doesn\u2019t just mean trusting your teammates to do their work. It means feeling safe around each other:<\/strong> Teammates who trust each other aren\u2019t afraid to share unusual ideas or admit to their mistakes and worries. Trust means knowing you can share anything (whether business-related or personal) with your teammates\u2014you trust <\/em>that they won\u2019t use that information to make fun of you, steal your ideas, or harm your reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni argues that distrust is the first and most important dysfunction to surmount because if you and your teammates don\u2019t trust each other, then you can\u2019t operate as a team at all. Without trust, your \u201cteam\u201d is actually a group of individuals: people who are more concerned about protecting their interests than tackling the problems they\u2019re supposed to be working together to solve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, suppose an insurance agent accidentally sent an email containing personal information to the wrong client. In an environment of trust, that person would immediately admit the mistake to their teammates, and then the team could work together to minimize the damage; <\/strong>perhaps by having the company pay for identity theft protection services. On the other hand, in a distrusting environment, the insurance agent would just hide their mistake and hope nothing bad happened because of it\u2014protecting their reputation would be more important than addressing the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni says that, for teammates to trust each other, they first have to get to know each other. He recommends that you start by having people share relatively safe information about themselves<\/strong>\u2014for example, their favorite book, a personal goal (work-related or otherwise), or a fun childhood memory. This will get them used to talking about themselves and will start forming interpersonal bonds between teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni says you can also strengthen people\u2019s understanding of one another\u2014and therefore their trust in each other\u2014by asking everyone to use a personality profiling tool. Lencioni notes that this will give team members an external, impersonal frame of reference for understanding each other\u2019s behavior. For example, if a test shows that someone has an impulsive personality, their teammates will know not to take it personally if that person interrupts or talks over them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni warns that while trust is necessary for any team, it can be very difficult to cultivate. This is because trust requires vulnerability: You have to be willing to expose your fears and your weaknesses, which people usually avoid doing at any cost.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n To start overcoming that self-preservation instinct, the team leader should be the first to be vulnerable by sharing something uncomfortable or embarrassing\u2014perhaps a mistake they made as a new employee or a time when they made a minor social faux pas. By doing so, they\u2019ll signal to the rest of the team that it\u2019s safe to share things they normally wouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once your team trusts each other, they\u2019ll be ready to start working through Lencioni\u2019s second team dysfunction: a lack of healthy disagreements.<\/strong> In other words, now that your team members trust each other to act in good faith, you can teach them how to disagree<\/a> with each other respectfully and productively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni notes that ideally, disagreements and disputes get a lot of different ideas out in the open so your team can thoroughly discuss them and choose the best option. That\u2019s why the ability to have healthy disagreements is crucial for any team.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll explain how to encourage healthy, constructive debates. Doing so first requires you to understand team members\u2019 different styles of disagreement\u2014aggressive and argumentative versus calm and logical. It often also requires guidance from the team leader during discussions. Let\u2019s look at each of these requirements in detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni says that just like you do with building trust<\/a>, you should begin the process of fostering healthy debates by helping your team members understand each other. Specifically, have a conversation with the team about how each of them approaches disagreements.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, how comfortable are each of your team members with arguing? What tactics do they tend to use in arguments\u2014passionate appeals to emotion, calm and logical arguments, or somewhere in between? What cultural and familial influences formed the foundations of their disagreement styles?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have an overall idea of how your team handles conflict, Lencioni says to establish what he calls conflict norms<\/em>. Work with your team to set rules and expectations for debates\u2014<\/strong>that way, they can handle disagreements in a way that\u2019s effective and comfortable for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni says that even after you\u2019ve established that disagreements are expected and desired and have set your conflict ground rules, you\u2019ll often have to encourage your team to start debates.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n First, start team meetings by telling everyone what you\u2019ll be discussing that day, why it\u2019s important, and what the consequences will be if the team makes a bad decision. This will ensure that your teammates are engaged and energized right from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might also need to help keep the discussion going. <\/strong>For example, if there\u2019s a team member who tends to be quieter than the others, specifically ask for that person\u2019s input from time to time. Lencioni also says that you should look for potential conflicts and try to bring them out into the open during meetings. If you suspect someone has an objection or argument that they\u2019re holding back, encourage them to speak up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally, Lencioni says that, although it\u2019s important to encourage discussion and disagreements, a team leader also needs to know when to bring a debate to an end. Your team will often be unable to reach a consensus; if the conversation seems to be going in circles or tempers are wearing thin, it\u2019s time for the team leader to step in and make a final decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ability to disagree with each other respectfully and productively is crucial for a team, but it naturally leads to Lencioni\u2019s third dysfunction: a lack of unity. Some team members may resist going along with a decision even after it\u2019s been made. <\/strong>For example, they might genuinely think the team made a bad decision, or they might simply feel slighted because their ideas weren\u2019t chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ll go over Lencioni\u2019s method for having your team present a united front: 1) ensuring clarity among the team members and 2) requiring them to communicate decisions to their subordinates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni\u2019s first tip for achieving team unity is making sure all team members understand exactly <\/em>what decision they reached during the meeting.<\/strong> To support a course of action, they first need to know what that course of action will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, right before ending a meeting, clearly and specifically write down and share what the team has agreed to. This is also an opportunity for team members to share anything they\u2019re confused about and to eliminate any ambiguity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, say your team decided to have the company adopt a new type of software. You could write down that the team decided to phase out whatever software your company is currently using and require all employees to start using this new program. If one of your team members assumed the new software would just be an option<\/em> for employees rather than a requirement, these last few minutes of the meeting are that person\u2019s chance to clear up their confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni\u2019s second tip for achieving unity is holding each team member responsible for explaining the decision to everyone who reports to them. <\/strong>By doing so, you\u2019ll make sure they\u2019re personally invested in team unity: They know there will be consequences if they don\u2019t explain the decision willingly and accurately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s not enough for your team members to send a simple email or voicemail communicating the decision to their staff\u2014they must do so either in person or over a phone call so their employees will have the chance to ask questions and voice concerns. This requirement also helps ensure that team members fully understand the decision before they communicate it; since they\u2019ll have to explain the decision and answer questions about it, they\u2019ll want to make sure they understand it themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Discussing unity naturally leads to the last two dysfunctions: fear of accountability and self-interest. These both hinder team unity by keeping people\u2019s attention focused on themselves. We\u2019ll explain these two dysfunctions and discuss ways to keep team members accountable to and intent on meeting the team\u2019s shared goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni argues that accountability involves team members\u2014including the team leader\u2014holding each other responsible for their behavior and their results.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Holding people accountable<\/a> for their results is easy. If there are clear expectations regarding, say, sales numbers or company profits, it\u2019s easy to tell when someone isn\u2019t meeting them. In that case, there needs to be a conversation about why they\u2019re falling short and how to address the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni says it\u2019s much more uncomfortable to hold people accountable for their day-to-day behavior. But, it\u2019s just as important because behavior leads directly to results;<\/strong> by correcting behaviors, you can stop poor results from happening in the first place. For example, if one of your team members seems disengaged or hostile during team meetings, that bad behavior might also come through when they\u2019re talking to customers<\/a>, thereby harming sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Lencioni, to help your team overcome their fear of holding each other accountable, you must first help them realize that it\u2019s really the fear of hurting each other. <\/strong>Accountability is personal\u2014as a result, calling out your teammates\u2019 shortcomings often feels judgmental and unkind. This holds true for the team leader and team members alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you understand where this dysfunction comes from, you can start taking steps to overcome it. Specifically, change your team\u2019s mindset: Explain that failing to hold each other accountable is much more harmful than the brief discomfort of a difficult conversation.<\/strong> Holding back criticism doesn\u2019t just harm the company\u2014it also robs team members of the chance to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lencioni adds that the most effective type of accountability is between teammates. <\/strong>This is because criticism feels more personal and more meaningful when it comes from a peer instead of from \u201cthe boss\u201d (the team leader), who\u2019s in a position where giving feedback and criticism is just part of their job. Therefore, overcoming the fear of accountability\u2014empowering team members to give each other <\/em>feedback\u2014is more effective than any feedback the leader could give personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOverview of Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Introduction: Creating a Team <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dysfunction #1: Distrust<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How to Build Trust in a Team<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dysfunction #2: Lack of Healthy Disagreements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Understanding Styles of Disagreement<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Guiding Disagreements<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dysfunction #3: Lack of Unity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Ensuring Clarity<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Requiring Communication <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Dysfunctions #4 and #5: Fear of Accountability and Self-Interest<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Dysfunction #4: Fear of Accountability<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
How to Overcome the Fear of Accountability<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Dysfunction #5: Self-Interest<\/h4>\n\n\n\n