The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Book Review

Meet our characters:

Kathryn – New CEO — low-tech, team builder

Jeff – Business Development — Venture capital raiser, recruiting, textbook, protocol, fears failure

Mikey – Marketing  — Talker, complainer, victim (FIRED)

Martin – Chief Technologist  — Founder, inventor, quiet, laptop always opened, avoids conflict, sarcastic

JR – Sales  — Willing, never rude, flaky, skilled (QUIT)

Carlos – Customer Support  — Speaks little, no complaints, downplays accomplishments, trustworthy

Jan – CFO  — Stickler for detail

Nick – COO  — Star, but prideful

Joseph Charles – New VP of Marketing

This was once a very dysfunctional team, but Kathryn has come in and made all the difference in the world.  How did she know it was a dysfunctional team.  Well, let’s look at the five dysfunctions she recognized (and fixed).

1. Absence of Trust

Kathryn recognized the absence of trust and the outset of her first meeting.  There was a lack of debate.  People were not willing to throw their views and opinions out into a meeting in fear of those ideas being shot down.  I wonder if I trust my colleagues, since I’m so slow to speak sometimes.

To overcome the absence of trust, Kathryn had everyone take a personality test.  I find personality tests intriguing.  Somehow they seem to get me just right.  Then, everyone shared some information about themselves.  It was important for people to know each other.  If we don’t know each other, how can we trust each other.

I believe that one of the hardest parts for me would be when Kathryn asked people to share their strengths and weaknesses in front of everyone else.  Well, here’s my confession to the world - I like my box.  I’m not comfortable throwing myself out there.  I’m not very technical.  I don’t understand somethings that people say.  However, I learn.  If there’s something I don’t know - a word I hear that I don’t yet understand - I find out.  I’m curious.  I’m hands on.  I’m a good thinker.  I’m a people person.  I’m a good listener.  Now you know a little about me.  What about you?  What kind of person are you?  What are YOUR strengths…. YOUR weaknesses?  Let’s get rid of our lack of trust.

When we trust each other, we no longer have to be invulnerable.  We can be weak - imperfect - and that’s okay.  I don’t have to be seen as perfect - though I carry that box around all the time (The Anatomy of Peace talks more about this).  I need to trust that even if I’m not perfect, people will still like me for me.

2. Inattention to Results

Kathryn recognized that the team didn’t focus on results.  Each individual was just that - an individual.  Nothing else mattered to each person except for his/her own personal success.

She told the story of a young man who starred on a basketball team, but didn’t care if the team won or loss, so long as his stats were nicely padded.  He eventually quit the team, when the coach kept pushing for teamwork.  It wasn’t for him.  It’s important for the team to want to win badly - together.

It all comes down to goal setting, metrics and results then.  If we aren’t setting goals as a team, analyzing our progress and celebrating our results (or learning from our failures) we are not working together.  How can we go as a team to a destination we don’t recognize?

3. Fear of Conflict

Let’s be honest here.  I don’t like conflict.  I struggle with it.  I don’t think anybody really loves it.  However, since I read this book, I’ve some to appreciateconstructive conflict for what it is.  It’s better to have constructive conflict than to pretend like everything is okay.

I recently has some grievances to air with one of my superiors.  It had sat and festered for some 3 weeks.  He wouldn’t look me in the eye, I didn’t care to talk to him.  After reading this book, I set up a time to sit down and talk with him.  Now THAT was hard.  It’s really uncomfortable to approach someone when you’ve been letting something fester like we had.

When I first started talking, he kind of laughed it off, saying that he hadn’t noticed any tension between us.  However, as the conversation progressed, he recognized that we had conflict and that it was hurting our (or at least my) productivity.  I explained the things he did that made me feel like he didn’t trust me and the things he said that hurt me.  We left with a mutual understanding of things we could do a little better.  Since then, conflict with him has been minimal.

Why not suffer through a little pain in removing the sliver, rather than the sliver causing an infection, rubbing raw, and filling with puss?  It’s just not worth it.

I now speak up in meetings.  If people oppose me, that’s fine - it’s not a personal attack.  I challenge people’s ideas.  I encourage thinking about things in a different light.  I actually increase conflict, and it’s satisfying.  We all learn and are more productive for it.

4.  Lack of Commitment

It’s nearly impossible to get anything done as a team when there is a lack of commitment.  Again… if we don’t know our destination, how can we get there as a team.  Kathryn saw this in her team as an ambiguity in results, in requirements and in expectations for the team.  In order to be an effective team, we all need to be on the same page.

5.    Avoiding Accountability

Kathryn saw low standards in her team.  This she recognized as the team trying to avoid accountability.  If we’re willing to accept accountability for our actions, we will set high standards for ourselves (or our teams) and hold true to those standards.  If we are doing what we should be, we set high standards for ourselves.  How high are your standards?  Do you accept accountability for your actions?  Set those high standards.  Reach the next level.  As a team, we must not avoid accountability, but rather embrace it, for it will drive us to see sights we have not yet beheld.

I did a short assessment at the end of the book relating to two teams I am on.

Team 1 results:

1.       Trust – 4

2.       Conflict – 7

3.       Commitment – 7

4.       Accountability – 4

5.       Results – 8

Team 2 results:

1.       Trust – 7

2.       Conflict – 5

3.       Commitment – 8

4.       Accountability – 8

5.       Results – 6

I can recognize now that with Team 1, I just don’t trust them enough.  I’ve been improving my relationship with this team, and it’s making a difference.  I’m not seeing the effects that I saw initially.

With Team 2, there is a great fear of conflict.  It’s a team that knows each other well, but doesn’t want to hurt each other.  Conflict is seen as destructive instead of constructive.  To make this team functional.  We need to work toward a common goal of being able to give conflict without personal feelings being passed in the envelope as well.

It’s a learning process.  It may take years and years - but at least I know the starting point.  I know where to go from here.

I encourage you to read this book - find out about your teams… how can YOU make the difference?

(Note: This post was originally written several months ago)

Have you read this book?  What were your thoughts?