The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A Leadership Fable

By: Patrick Lencioni

Narrated by: Charles Stransky; introduction by Patrick Lencioni

In keeping with the parable style, Patrick Lencioni begins by telling the fable of a woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. Story time over, Lencioni offers explicit instructions for overcoming the human behavioral tendencies that he says corrupt teams (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results). Succinct yet sympathetic, this guide will be a boon for those struggling with the inherent difficulties of leading a group.

Building a cohesive team is not complicated, declares Lencioni. 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 scenarios 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. At the end of the story, the main points are summarized, and clearly expressed suggestions and exercises are offered to help bring about change. Concise and easy to follow, this program is recommended for anyone who is a member of a team that needs improvement.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is also available in print from Wiley.

©2002 Patrick Lencioni
(P)2002 Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"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.)

A coherent framework for thinking about teams

This was a worthwhile listen - short, sweet, and a great distillation of what most experienced team leaders have in their head as common sense. The five dysfunctions are real, readily applied in the real world, and I have yet to find a colleague who didn't immediately appreciate this way of looking at how people work together to solve problems.

Constantly wondering why your team isn't as effective as it should be? Listen to this book. I did, and it really helped me in how I lead my team (I am VP-Technology for a professional services firm). This is the first audio title, after 3 years of audible.com, that made me want to go out and get the hard copy of the book for my office reference bookshelf.

Manager of 80 employees

With a team of 80 employees I found the stories and the resolve that was demonstrated and explained in this book to be extremely relevant. it was an easy read. Having read many leader said bugs, It was refreshing to have a story told in this manner. I would recommend this book. Now as with every other book, presentation, ect, applying these techniques is key for success

Timely Read

This is a must read for everyone! It details a functional and dysfunctional team environment with recognizable characters.

Pretty insightful. Highly recommend it!

The book was pretty good and the stories helped me follow the dysfunctions better. I enjoyed it and took notes to follow up on some of the tips provided.

EVERY MANAGER SHOULD READ

What made the experience of listening to The Five Dysfunctions of a Team the most enjoyable?

OPEN my eyes to what is right and wrong in management.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team?

How clearly it comes thru.

What about Charles Stransky; introduction by Patrick Lencioni’s performance did you like?

its ok

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Insightful book with great storied

While it was P&G heavy, the stories and the content was good to hear and put together in a way you could follow and understand. The narrator did a great job with voices and just reading at a pace that allowed one to understand. it sounded conversational and not just like some boring book. I'm ready recommending this to every I know in management.

should bea required read when dealing with others

this book was a required reading for my class should be required for anyone in Corporate America

Great ideas for building the right team.

If you are looking for receipe for how to transform an executive team, this book can help. I wasn't sure it I would like the format of the book but found it very easy to listen to and enjoyed the story.

Great examples of team members!

This is a great display of the types of people in a team, what works well, what doesn't and I'm a light hearted comical delivery

How does your team measure up?

Teamwork is what everybody talks about, but what does it look like?

The way this book is presented makes it a compelling case for improving teamwork. By telling a story about a dysfunctional team, and showing us what a poor team looks like, it made me feel that I was a part of the team working towards a better place.

By illustrating how a dysfunctional team presents itself, and the struggles it endures to get to a better place, by illustrating each of the five dysfunctions; absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results- we can see ourselves reflected in one or more of the characters.

If we learn the lessons through the actions of the team, we can identify with their failings within us, and help to move our team to a better place.