Lead people
Five dysfunctions of a team
Check a team against five layers that build on each other: trust, healthy conflict, commitment, accountability and attention to results.
- Time45 to 75 minutes
- People3 to 10 people
- Steps4
What it's for
Patrick Lencioni's model is a pyramid. Without trust, people avoid honest conflict; without conflict, decisions never really get bought into; without commitment, nobody holds anyone to account; and without accountability, people put their own goals ahead of the team's results. Problems at the top usually start lower down.
Run it as a team check: everyone rates each layer quietly, then the team talks about the lowest one first.
How to run it
Rate quietly10 min
Each person adds a score from 1 to 5 to every layer, without discussing it.
Find the weakest layer5 min2 votes each
Vote on the layer that holds the team back most.
Talk about it20 min
Start at the lowest weak layer: what does it look like day to day?
Agree one action10 min
One thing the team will do differently, with an owner and a date.
Tips
- Conflict here means debate about ideas, not personal attacks. Teams that never argue usually aren't saying what they think.
- If trust scores low, start there, even if results are the visible problem.
Where it comes from
From Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (2002), written as a fable about a leadership team.
Pairs well with
BRAVING trust inventory
Talk about trust in seven parts (boundaries, reliability, accountability, vault, integrity, non-judgement, generosity) instead of one big word.
Squad health check
A team rates itself green, amber or red on ten areas such as fun, speed and tech quality, and talks about the reds.
Team charter
One page that says why a team exists, what it is aiming for, who does what, and how it will work.