DREIESKIVA​|Roald Kvam

Source: «The Five Dysfunctions of a Team» by Patrick Lencioni.

Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a bestselling leadership fable that explores the root causes of organizational politics and team failure. Presented through the fictional story of Kathryn Petersen, a newly appointed CEO, the book identifies five core dysfunctions that sabotage team effectiveness and offers a practical framework to overcome them.

Let’s explore…

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The Five Dysfunctions

1. Absence of trust
   • What it means: Team members are unwilling to be vulnerable or honest about weaknesses, mistakes, or needs.
   • Result: Fear of being open leads to guarded behavior and lack of authentic collaboration.
   • Solution: Build vulnerability-based trust through open dialogue, personal disclosure, and shared experiences.
2. Fear of conflict
   • What it means: Teams avoid passionate, productive debate about ideas.
   • Result: Issues fester below the surface, leading to artificial harmony and unresolved tension.
   • Solution: Encourage healthy conflict by creating a safe space for debate and disagreement focused on issues, not personalities.
3. Lack of commitment
   • What it means: Without open conflict, team members don’t fully buy into decisions—even if they appear to agree.
   • Result: Lack of clarity and alignment on goals; decisions get revisited repeatedly.
   • Solution: Foster clarity and closure around decisions; use cascading messaging to reinforce commitment.
4. Avoidance of accountability
   • What it means: Teammates hesitate to call out peers on behaviors or performance that hurt the team.
   • Result: Standards slip, and mediocrity spreads.
   • Solution: Establish clear standards and norms; encourage peer-to-peer accountability.
5. Inattention to results
   • What it means: Team members prioritize personal success, ego, or departmental goals over team success.
   • Result: The team fails to achieve its collective goals.
   • Solution: Focus on shared outcomes and reward team success over individual achievement.

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Interconnected nature

Each dysfunction builds upon the one before. Without trust, conflict is impossible. Without conflict, commitment falters. Without commitment, accountability is weak. And without accountability, results are compromised.

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Practical takeaways

• Regular team assessments
• Structured meeting frameworks
• Behavioral ground rules
• Leadership modeling of vulnerability and accountability

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Final message

Lencioni argues that team health is not a luxury—it’s a competitive advantage. By addressing these five dysfunctions, organizations can unlock higher performance, engagement, and trust.