The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
A Leadership Fable
J-B Lencioni Series
1. Edition April 2002
256 Pages, Hardcover
Practical Approach Book
Short Description
Interwoven with the fictional story of a woman who becomes CEO of a struggling, high-profile company with a dysfunctional executive team is an analysis of the five corruptions, diagnostic questions to help readers assess their organizations, and a teamwork model of the action steps to overcome the corruptions.
In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team 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.
The Fable.
Luck.
Part One: Underachievement.
Part Two: Lighting the Fire.
Part Three: Heavy Lifting.
Part Four: Traction.
The Model.
An Overview of the Model.
Team Assessment.
Understanding and Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions.
A Note About Time: Kathryn's Methods.
A Special Tribute to Teamwork.
Acknowledgments.
About the Author.
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)
The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive and The Five Temptations of a CEO. In addition to his work as an executive coach and consultant, Pat is a sought-after speaker. Prior to founding The Table Group, he worked at the management consulting firm Bain & Company, Oracle Corporation, and Sybase, where he was vice president of organizational development. He is on numerous advisory boards and sits on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. Over the years, Pat has worked with hundreds of executive teams and CEOs-all struggling, at one time or another, with the potential for dysfunction among their teams.
Pat lives with his wife, Laura, and their twin boys, Matthew and Connor, in the San Francisco Bay Area. You can reach him at The Table Group's web site, www.tablegroup.com, or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
