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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable Hardcover – 28 March 2002
Patrick M. Lencioni (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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The New York Times best-selling team leadership handbook for modern executives, managers, and organizations
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, author Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.
Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.
Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams, even the best ones, often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.
- ISBN-100787960756
- ISBN-13978-0787960759
- Edition1st
- PublisherJossey-Bass
- Publication date28 March 2002
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions22.23 x 15.24 x 2.54 cm
- Print length240 pages
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From the Publisher

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Model

Like it or not, all teams are potentially dysfunctional. This is inevitable because they are made up of fallible, imperfect human beings. From the basketball coach to the executive suite, politics and confusion are more the rule than the exception. However, facing dysfunction and focusing on teamwork is particularly critical at the top of an organization because the executive team sets the tone for how all employees work with one another. Fortunately, there is hope. Counter to conventional wisdom, the causes of dysfunction are both identifiable and curable. The first step toward reducing politics and confusion within your team is to understand that there are five dysfunctions to contend with, and address each that applies, one by one.
DYSFUNCTION #1: ABSENCE OF TRUST
The fear of being vulnerable with team members prevents building of trust within the team.
DYSFUNCTION #2: FEAR OF CONFLICT
The desire to preserve artificial harmony stifles the occurrence of productive, ideological conflict.
DYSFUNCTION #3: LACK OF COMMITMENT
The lack of clarity or buy-in prevents team members from making decisions they will stick to.
DYSFUNCTION #4: AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY
The need to avoid interpersonal discomfort prevents team members from holding one another accountable for their behaviors and performance.
DYSFUNCTION #5: INATTENTION TO RESULTS
The pursuit of individual goals and personal status erodes the focus on collective success.
Product description
Review
Building a cohesive team is not complicated, declares Lencioni, president of his own management consulting firm and author of The Five Temptations of a CEO. Departing from the dry, theoretical writing of many management books, he presents his case in the context of a fictional organization, and in doing so succeeds at communicating his ideas. The story is about a female CEO who is hired to bring together a dysfunctional executive staff to work as a team in a company that just two years earlier had looked promising. The scenarios that follow are recognizable and can be applied anywhere teamwork is involved, whether it is a multinational company, a small department within a larger organization, or a sports team. The five dysfunctions discussed are absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. At the end of the story, the main points are summarized, and clearly written suggestions and exercises are offered to help, bring about change. Concise and easy to follow, this book is recommended for academic and public libraries with management collections and for anyone who is a member of a team that needs improvement. —Bellinda Wise, Nassau Community Call. Lib. Garden City, NY (Library Journal, April 15, 2002)
"...there is a lot of good sense in this book...certainly offers some useful pointers..." (Supply Management, 28 March 2002)
"...is worth exploring..." (Progress, Summer 2002)
"...an entertaining quick read filled with information easy to digest..." (The star online, 12 August 2003)
"[...] Das Besondere an diesem Buch sind jedoch nicht die Inhalte, sondern es ist die Art der Vermittlung von Know-How und Praxiswissen. Lencioni gelingt dabei das Kunststück, Sachinformation in ein packendes Fallbeispiel zu verpacken - eine Eigenschaft, die er mit vielen amerikanischen Autoren teilt. Das erleichtert die Identifizierung des Lesers mit den Erkenntnissen und sorgt fü eine ganze Reihe von Aha-Erlebnissen.[...] Dankenswerterweise lässt Lencioni den Leser dabei nicht allein mit einer spannenden Prosa, sondern liefert zudem auch Hinweise zur praktischen Realisierung des Erlernten." (personalmagazin, 07/2007)
Review
Building a cohesive team is not complicated, declares Lencioni, president of his own management consulting firm and author of The Five Temptations of a CEO. Departing from the dry, theoretical writing of many management books, he presents his case in the context of a fictional organization, and in doing so succeeds at communicating his ideas. The story is about a female CEO who is hired to bring together a dysfunctional executive staff to work as a team in a company that just two years earlier had looked promising. The scenarios that follow are recognizable and can be applied anywhere teamwork is involved, whether it is a multinational company, a small department within a larger organization, or a sports team. The five dysfunctions discussed are absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. At the end of the story, the main points are summarized, and clearly written suggestions and exercises are offered to help, bring about change. Concise and easy to follow, this book is recommended for academic and public libraries with management collections and for anyone who is a member of a team that needs improvement. ―Bellinda Wise, Nassau Community Call. Lib. Garden City, NY (Library Journal, April 15, 2002)
"...there is a lot of good sense in this book...certainly offers some useful pointers..." (Supply Management, 28 March 2002)
"...is worth exploring..." (Progress, Summer 2002)
"...an entertaining quick read filled with information easy to digest..." (The star online, 12 August 2003)
Review
—Richard Carr, President & CEO, TEC International
"Every manager and executive will recognize themselves somewhere in this book. Lencioni distills the problems that keep even the most talented teams from realizing their full potential. Even more important, he shows — in prose that is crisp, clear, and fun to read — how to solve them."
—Geoffrey A. Moore, Chairman, The Chasm Group, Author, Crossing the Chasm; Inside the Tornado; Living on the Fault Line
"I read most best-selling business books. What sets Lencioni apart is his ability to provide insightful and practical solutions to complex management challenges."
—Phillip Hildebrand, Executive VP and Chief Distribution Officer, New York Life Insurance Company
"A gripping analysis of what makes teams work effectively. This fine work is a must read for any leader that has come to grips with the fact that no one makes progress — much less succeeds — alone."
—James Amos, president and CEO, Mail Boxes, Etc.
"Compelling and incisive, this will become the definitive guide on how to build and manage successful teams."
—Jean Kovacs, president and CEO, Comergent Technologies
From the Publisher
PATRICK M. LENCIONI is founder and president of The Table Group, a management consulting firm specializing in executive team development and organizational health. As a consultant and keynote speaker, he has worked with thousands of senior executives and their teams in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to high-tech startups to universities and nonprofits. Lencioni is the author of 11 best-selling books, including The Advantage and The Ideal Team Player.
To learn more about Patrick, and the products and services offered by his firm, The Table Group, please visit www.tablegroup.com.
From the Inside Flap
After her first two weeks observing the problems at DecisionTech, Kathryn Petersen, its new CEO, had more than a few moments when she wondered if she should have taken the job. But Kathryn knew there was little chance she would have turned it down. After all, retirement had made her antsy, and nothing excited her more than a challenge. What she could not have known when she accepted the job, however, was just how dysfunctional her team was, and how team members would challenge her in ways that no one ever had before.
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni offers a leadership fable that is as compelling and enthralling as it is realistic, relevant, and practical. Through his keen intellect and storytelling power, he turns to the fascinating, complex world of teams.
Kathryn Petersen, DecisionTech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: uniting a team that is in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's riveting tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.
Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions that go to the very heart of why teamseven the best onesoften struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team.
Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a deceptively simple yet powerful message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.
From the Back Cover
Praise for The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
"A gripping analysis of what makes teams work effectively. This fine work is a must-read for any leader that has come to grips with the fact that no one makes progressmuch less succeedsalone."
James H. Amos Jr., president and CEO, Mail Boxes Etc.
"Every manager and executive will recognize themselves somewhere in this book. Lencioni distills the problems that keep even the most talented teams from realizing their full potential. Even more important, he showsin prose that is crisp, clear, and fun to readhow to solve them."
Geoffrey A. Moore, chairman, The Chasm Group; author, Crossing the Chasm, Inside the Tornado, and Living on the Fault Line
"This book is as thought-provoking, insightful, and rich with ideas as The Five Temptations of a CEO. I've used it with my team and it works!"
Phillip J. Hildebrand, executive vice president and chief distribution officer, New York Life Insurance Company
"Compelling and incisive, this will become the definitive guide on how to build and manage successful teams."
Jean Kovacs, president and CEO, Comergent Technologies
"As practical, readable, and compelling as his other books. I'm sure this will be another business classic."
Richard Carr, president and CEO, TEC International
About the Author
PATRICK M. LENCIONI is founder and president of The Table Group, a management consulting firm specializing in executive team development and organizational health. As a consultant and keynote speaker, he has worked with thousands of senior executives and their teams in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to high-tech startups to universities and nonprofits. Lencioni is the author of 11 best-selling books, including The Advantage and The Ideal Team Player.
To learn more about Patrick, and the products and services offered by his firm, The Table Group, please visit www.tablegroup.com.
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Product details
- Publisher : Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (28 March 2002)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 240 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0787960756
- ISBN-13 : 978-0787960759
- Dimensions : 22.23 x 15.24 x 2.54 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 1,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, a firm dedicated to helping leaders improve their organizations’ health since 1997. His principles have been embraced by leaders around the world and adopted by organizations of virtually every kind including multinational corporations, entrepreneurial ventures, professional sports teams, the military, nonprofits, schools, and churches.
Lencioni is the author of ten business books with over three million copies sold worldwide. His work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Bloomberg Businessweek, and USA Today.
Prior to founding The Table Group, Lencioni served on the executive team at Sybase, Inc. He started his career at Bain & Company and later worked at Oracle Corporation.
Lencioni lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and their four sons.
To learn more about Patrick and The Table Group, please visit www.tablegroup.com.
Customer reviews
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Top reviews from Australia
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They are both based on establishing a foundation of trust and psychological safety, to encourage constructive conflict and discussion. They both espouse the importance of team commitment and accountability for results.
I personally found the content in Dare to Lead deeper and more advanced, but quite hard to read - in some places it can be preachy or cringey or just hard going.
Whereas Lencioni's book is very easy to read and you'll likely finish it in a day or two. Some might also find his 'fable' style a little condescending, or over-simplified, but it does get the point across very efficiently.
Strongly recommend either / both books to anyone who is working to build a highly performing team.
still, I find myself attracted to it thanks to its vivid story and author's literary talent.
I cannot help but read through part one and part two before I realise a break is well needed.
Even though in my career to date, what executive members do every day is far distant from my duty, the challenge Kathryn faced and wisdom + techniques she deployed for building united team is perfect referencing points for me to apply to my team environment.
The book spent heavy amount on recording conversations from every team member, offering vivid examples for readers like myself to observe, evaluate and to learn from. Things like control our emotion, when to be considerate and when to be decisive, etc.
This is brilliant! Incredibly insightful and lots of practical tips to help leaders develop their teams into, well, TEAMS!
Top reviews from other countries

It;’s easy to read and I’m sure you will recognise many of the characters and dysfunctions, in fact you have probably worked with many of them.

I brought 14 to accompany our leadership programmes and it was met with resounding approval!
Here’s their feedback....
What have I not learnt from this book is a better question!
Good, easy to read and very thought provoking.
More interesting than any other leadership book I’ve read!

It doesng to into unnecessary detail which kept me really engaged from start to finish.
It just makes sense as well. And I can really identify all of this with my work situation. As an HR Manager I found this really useful in approaching a pretty similar situation and articulating what I have identified in a really straightforward and clear way. Thank you Patick Lencioni!

