The Five Dysfunctions of a Team underscores the
effectiveness of storytelling in communicating a message. Author
Patrick Lencioni describes how the executive team at DecisionTech,
a startup Silicon Valley firm, turned around the dwindling company
fortunes.
Backed by a strong suite of venture capitalists, the problem with
DecisionTech was not cash. It was not talent either. The leadership
team included some of the most accomplished individuals in the
hi-tech industry. The issue that was limiting the future of the
otherwise well-resourced organization was a dysfunctional executive
team.
One of the compelling points the book makes is that it takes
courageous and visionary leadership to build a high-functioning
team or repair an ailing one. Kathryn was that leader. So convinced
was she of the power of a strong, cohesive team that her first
order of business as the new CEO was to build one. She would risk
relationships with influential members of the team, shake the
confidence of the board, and put her job and reputation on the line
in the process. Through her actions, Lencioni emphasized that the
interest of the team should always take precedence over that of the
individual members.
The author states that the place to start building a team is having
the right people in the right seats. As experienced and educated as
they were, some of the leaders failed to learn critical team values
and behaviors. They allowed their ego and personal agenda to get in
the way of efforts to build a collaborative team. It was not long
before they left. The CEO subsequently restructured the team,
positioning people where they added the most value.
Kathryn did not start making waves her first day on the job. In the
traditional behavioral science approach, she spent time observing.
Her diagnosis, absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of
commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to
results, form the basis of Lencioni's model. These team
dysfunctions are cumulative.
A healthy working relationship, which is a critical component in
building a team, is omitted in this model. While Kathryn
successfully steered the organization onto the path of prosperity,
she could not have done so had her team not focused on building
strong relationships.
The author scores a high mark by identifying the bottom line as the
ultimate proof of a successful team. Though team building can be
about sharing personal stories, confessing faults, and having all
the other difficult conversations for which HR and OD professionals
are resented, it's ultimately about achieving set goals.