Business
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Patrick Lencioni
4.3 (383) 10 min read 7 key ideas
A business fable identifies five interconnected dysfunctions — absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, inattention to results — that undermine most teams.
Key takeaways
- A Leadership Fable About Team Dysfunction
- The Pyramid: Five Interconnected Dysfunctions
- Trust as Vulnerability, Not Predictability
- Productive Conflict Requires Trust First
- From Conflict to Genuine Commitment
- Accountability and Results Complete the Pyramid
- Applying the Model to Your Own Team
Action checklist
- Share one vulnerable admission with your team today to build trust
- Encourage healthy conflict in your next meeting instead of artificial harmony
Final takeaway
Lencioni's consistent argument throughout the book is that these five dysfunctions are causally interconnected rather than independent problems — meaning genuine, lasting team improvement requires working through the pyramid's foundation first, rather than attempting to address visible symptoms like poor results or accountability avoidance without first building the underlying vulnerability-based trust that makes genuine progress on the higher dysfunctions possible.
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