The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, by Patrick Lencioni is a fable about an up and coming company called Decision Tech. Decision Tech is a technology company which despite having a very talented executive team, has continuous declining staff moral, a low customer base, and inadequate profit margins. Because of the lack of progress the chairman of Decision Tech decided to hire Kathryn Petersen to be the new CEO. Kathryn was given two goals, the first was to determine the cause for Decision Tech to failure, and secondly to fix that problem.
Kathryn has seven reports who are apart of her executive team, each with a dysfunctional behavior that most readers can relate to from their own work experience. Kathryn uses her first few weeks on the job observing her new coworkers and determining the problems that are causing the company to struggle to grow and find new customers. Kathryn immediately recognizes the potential of her reports, but determines that their inability to work as a cohesive team is impacting the company in a negative way. She decides to have her reports attend a series of off sight meetings to try and build an effective team.
Kathryn understands that these off sights will be “painful for everyone involved” but everything she was doing was “thoughtful and intentional” to do what was necessary to turn the company around. At the off sight retreats, the team discusses the Five Dysfunctions of a Team which are absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. The only way for the group to understand each dysfunction and how it applies to each member of the team is to address each topic separately and slowly.
The first dysfunction is the Absence of Trust. This is caused by individuals being unable to show weakness and be vulnerable to other members of their team. Having an absence of trust causes member to be reluctant to ask for help or assist others when they need guidance. When there is an absence of trust individuals will hesitate to ask for or give constructive feedback in fear of conflict. When a team trust each other they are able to admit weaknesses/ mistakes and ask for help. They are comfortable to take risks and tap into each others skills and experiences to get a job done.
Trusting teams also look forward to opportunities to work as a group. The second dysfunction is the Fear of Conflict. This is caused when teams are lacking trust and are unable to have unfiltered debates about matters relating to the growth of the company or team. Team members do not openly express their opinions and teams have a difficult time making decisions. Having a fear of conflict causes team members to ignore controversial topics and they do not consider all members opinions and perspectives before making a decision.
Teams who have a healthy level of conflict are able to use ideas from every team member to solve problems quickly and effectively. These healthy teams are able to discuss critical topics for the good of the team or company. The third dysfunction is the lack of commitment. Lack of commitment is caused by decisions being made without total team buy in. A lack of commitment creates ambiguity on the current direction of the team and the team priorities. This dysfunction often causes teams to miss opportunities because they spend to much time on analysis instead of making quick and concise decisions.
Having a lack of commitment causes second guessing and shows a lack of confidence in the team. Teams who are committed have clear directions, priorities and have clear objectives to follow. They are able to learn from their mistakes and seize opportunities without hesitation. The fourth dysfunction is the avoidance of accountability. This is caused by the lack of commitment. Team members are not going to hold each other accountable if no one has committed to the project or plan. When a team is functioning properly they are able to hold each other accountable without taking offense.
Each team should have the same standards of levels of performance. By not having accountability, team members learn that it is acceptable to miss deadlines and have mediocre performance. If team members are unwilling to hold each other accountable it pushes the burden of discipline on to the leader which can cause resentment towards the leader. Teams who are committed to accountability are able to quickly identify problems without hesitation, which establishes respect between team members when everyone if held to the same standard. The fifth dysfunction is inattention to results.
This dysfunction occurs when team members put their individual needs before the needs of the team or organization. Teams who pay attention to results celebrates successes as a team and minimizes individualistic behavior. This fable relates to the world of education because it is all about teamwork. In education teamwork is no optional, to be an effective teacher we have to collaborate, plan, share ideas and support each other. Not only do teachers have to work with each other they need to consider the students and parents apart of the team. Each school has to have objectives and goals to reach.
The only way to reach those goals is to have complete team commitment. To have team commitment it is essential that all staff members have a voice in determining goals and a clear understanding of what must be achieved, how the progress of the goal will be measured, and the time frame in which the goal must be accomplished by. By working as a team there is a higher quality of outcomes that are more efficient, thoughtful and effective. Each team member must also understand their role and responsibility in the process of reaching the goal, so everyone is able to hold themselves and others accountable.
When teachers are able to work as a team they feel that they have a purpose to fulfill which is accomplished through mutual support. In education it is important for all members to practice open communication to be able to effectively exchange ideas, information, and instruction. When team members are able to share ideas, we are able to give and receive feedback and have group input which can lead to better ideas. Open communication promotes commitment to achieve the goals of the team.
