What makes your team unsuccessful?

“If you could get everyone in an organisation rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.”

Patrick Lencioni, author of the New York Times bestseller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, likes to repeat this as a mantra. Years of observing how different teams develop and experience training thousands of people and teams inspired him to write the book. The five dysfunctions form a pyramid, with trust at its foundation.

We will briefly introduce the five dysfunctions, but first we invite you to reflect on your own team. Why is it not as successful as you would like? Is it a lack of funding, a sound business strategy, experts and leaders, or technological support? The answer actually lies elsewhere. Teamwork sometimes seems doomed because we fail to recognise the real problems and gaps.

THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM

1. Absence of trust

The author distinguishes between two kinds of trust: transactional and relational, or vulnerability-based. Transactional trust means “I trust you to do what you say.” It matters, but the deeper issue concerns trust within relationships, which lies at the heart of the first dysfunction. Relational trust means “I trust that I can share my fears, failures and doubts with you without you using them against me. I trust that you are on my side.” For Lencioni, the absence of trust at the base of the pyramid is linked to the fear of being vulnerable. This first dysfunction arises when teams focus so much on transactional interactions that they have not built the deeper relationships of trust they will need when external adversity and pressure increase.

2. Fear of conflict

Over time, relationships need productive, healthy conflict to develop and improve. Recognising the difference between healthy debate and destructive battles or interpersonal rivalries is essential to keep people focused on ideas, concepts and solutions rather than individuals and egos. When team members fear conflict and do not stand up for their ideas, innovation becomes difficult and sometimes impossible.

3. Lack of commitment

Commitment depends on two things: clarity and willingness to support a decision. When everyone’s ideas are heard and considered, the decision to move forward includes the whole team. Even if that decision does not match an individual’s idea, everyone agrees and unites behind it, committing to achieving the team’s common goal.

4. Avoidance of accountability

Accountability concerns team members’ willingness to raise an issue when there is a problem. People are accustomed to emphasising personal responsibility for their actions, so they do not like interfering with what other team members do or fail to do. This is unproductive in a team, where the overall result depends on members’ ability to hold one another accountable for individual decisions and actions.

5. Inattention to results

The fifth and final dysfunction, at the top of the pyramid, is focusing on individual goals at the expense of the team’s goal. This can lead team members to act solely for individual recognition or their own ego. It must be clear that the team’s success depends on results linked to shared goals, rather than individual achievements.

Lencioni believes that addressing the five dysfunctions must begin at the foundation: the absence of trust.

In a team lacking trust:

• People hide weaknesses and mistakes from one another;
• They do not ask for help or advice;
• They hesitate to offer help outside their area of responsibility;
• They hesitate to give feedback or praise someone’s skills;
• They dislike meetings and avoid spending time together.

What to do:

Help team members focus on one another’s strengths rather than weaknesses. Knowing their strengths builds confidence, freeing people from the fear of showing their weaknesses. Discussing strengths will inspire team members to recognise and appreciate colleagues’ skills and offer help in areas where they excel.

Overcoming this dysfunction will give you a team that:

• Feels comfortable working towards a common goal;
• Can respond quickly to problems that are no longer hidden;
• Can prevent mistakes through timely feedback and help;
• Motivates its members by appreciating one another’s skills and strengths;
• Enjoys working together.