Book Review

Written by Patrick Lencioni
Reviewed by Mike Allen

Do you ever get the sense that your staff is doing their own thing, in their own way, in their own timing, and for their own purpose? Any time that you bring two or more people together, this will naturally be the tendency. It takes constant work to keep everyone on the same page and moving toward the same goal. There are some definite pitfalls that will result in your team becoming dysfunctional.

Patrick Lencioni creatively addresses these pitfalls in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Each dysfunction tends to lead toward the next one, but there only needs to be a breakdown in one area for your staff to become dysfunctional.

Level 1: Absence of Trust. This is where individuals on the team are unwilling to be vulnerable. Members are unwilling to acknowledge weaknesses in their work. Much time and energy are wasted by team members trying to present themselves the way they want people to see them. They fear being real because of the risk that someone might use their weakness against them.

Level 2: Fear of Conflict. This is an artificial harmony. No one is willing to express his ideas with depth and conviction because of the fear of conflict. Because members are unwilling to have healthy conflict, there is assumed agreement.

Level 3: Lack of Commitment. The result is ambiguity. The team is not committed to the purpose; because in level two, they were never in agreement but refused to openly and honestly discuss the matter. Things never get accomplished because no one sees the value in the stated goals.

Level 4: Avoidance of Accountability. Standards drop. The individuals on the team are unwilling to hold each other accountable in their actions, and the result is inconsistency and low standards.

Level 5: Inattention to Results. Individual status and ego are supreme. The thinking is that it does not matter what happens to the company or ministry as long as I look good and my department is a success.

This only gives a brief synopsis of the points that the author is making. He presents both problems and solutions for becoming a functional team. In the appendix he provides fifteen questions for your staff to answer so that you can quickly identify where your team is most dysfunctional. He also warns that over time our most significant dysfunctions can shift; therefore, we must constantly be observing our staff.

The book is a quick read with a creative fable approach. Although the author does not approach these issues from a biblical perspective, there are many evident biblical truths to be applied.