The Five Dys functions of a Team

1. “A Leadership Fable” by Patrick Lencioni Phil Holmes August 15, 2013 The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

2. Background of this presentation • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is a book by Patrick Lencioni, a prolific business consultant and author; it was published in 2002 and is widely used • This book was the focus of EDLP 700 – Effective Learning Networks, the first course in my EdD in Leadership program at VCU this summer • In the spirit of our team’s ongoing development, and to optimize the investment that the bank is making in my education, I am sharing books, lessons, and exercises from my program as the opportunity to do so arises • We are not leadership development consultants, but we are HR professionals, and we spend a great deal of time with our teams across the company. The lessons from Lencioni’s book may influence our support of those teams This presentation will draw from and adapt the concepts, graphics, and points that can be found in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

3. Background of this book • Lencioni’s “leadership fable” tells the story of the leadership team at DecisionTech, a hypothetical (and struggling) Silicon Valley technology firm • The story focuses in particular on Kathryn Petersen, the firm’s new CEO • An outsider from the automobile industry, Kathryn is brought into the company by the board of directors to make the leadership team work • Soon after taking the reins as CEO, Kathryn schedules a series of Napa Valley off-site meetings for her leadership team, during which she explains how effective teams should operate, and she begins to turn the team around • Through this simple narrative, Lencioni presents his thoughts about what makes teams work and not work, based on his many years of experience consulting with leadership teams • Since no teams in the Global Learning Organization are dysfunctional , I have amended this presentation’s title to “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” and we will expand our focus to include the five components of successful teams, from Lencioni’s point of view

4. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – per Lencioni 5 Inattention to Results Status and Ego 4 Avoidance of Accountability Low Standards Evidenced by… Cumulative… 3 Lack of Commitment Ambiguity 2 Fear of Conflict Artificial Harmony 1 Absence of Trust Invulnerability It begins with the absence of trust… A Single, Agreed-upon Goal is Impossible to Achieve

5. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – tweaking Lencioni 5 Identification with team’s success Our Ego, not My Ego 4 Expectation of Accountability Clear & Defended Standards Evidenced by… Cumulative… 3 Passionate Ownership of Progress Clear Measurement 2 Access to others, prompting change Embracing Conflict as a Positive Tool 1 Humble Confidence Confidence AND humility Output After Step 2 is a Single, Agreed-upon Goal

6. From Lencioni… the importance of trust “Trust lies at the heart of a functioning, cohesive team. Without it, teamwork is all but impossible.” “In the context of building a team, trust is the confidence among team members that their peers’ intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group. In essence, teammates must get comfortable being vulnerable with one another.” “(Trust) requires team members to make themselves vulnerable to one another, and be confident that their respective vulnerabilities will not be used against them. The vulnerabilities I’m referring to include weaknesses, skill deficiencies, interpersonal shortcomings, and requests for help.” “As ‘soft’ as all of this might sound, it is only when team members are truly comfortable being exposed to one another that they begin to act without concern for protecting themselves. As a result, they can focus their energy and attention completely on the job at hand, rather than on being strategically disingenuous or political with one another.” Lencioni, pp. 195-196

7. Suggestions for overcoming the absence of trust • Personal Histories Exercise • Team members “… answer a short list of questions about themselves, (such as) number of siblings, hometown, unique challenges of childhood, favorite hobbies, first job, and worst job.” • Team Effectiveness Exercise • “This exercise is more rigorous and relevant than the previous one, but may involve more risk. It requires team members to identify the single most important contribution that each of their peers makes to the team, as well as the one area that they must either improve upon or eliminate for the good of the team.” • The Role of the Leader • The most important action that a leader must take to encourage the building of trust… is to demonstrate vulnerability first… (to) risk losing face in front of the team, so that subordinates will take the same risk for themselves. What is more, team leaders must create an environment that does not punish vulnerability. Lencioni, pp. 198 - 201

8. References Lencioni, P. (2002). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.