4. TEAMWORK AND COMMUNICATION
4.6 Lencioni Model
Lencioni Model
In his 2005 book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni[1] outlines five common problems teams experience that impact their effectiveness:
- Lack of trust: if team members do not trust each other, they are unlikely to take risks or ask for help. A lack of trust means a low level of comfort that makes it difficult to communicate and perform effectively as a team
- Fear of conflict: avoiding conflict can lead to an artificial “peace” at the expense of progress and innovation. Conflict is a normal part of team work and can be very productive if managed effectively.
- Lack of commitment: team members do not commit to doing the work, do not follow through on decisions or tasks, do not meet deadlines, and let their teammates down, ultimately affecting the success of the whole project.
- Avoidance of accountability.
- Inattention to results: when team members focus on their own personal goals instead of project goals, they lose sight of the expected results that actually measure the success of the project. Not focusing on the results during the process means that no one is planning how to improve those results.
Figure 4.6.1 Lencioni Model: Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Lencioni advises tackling each dysfunction, displayed in the pyramid in Figure 4.6.1, from the bottom up. Establishing trust is a crucial first step to being able to manage conflict, achieve commitment, create accountability and focus on results.
Review the components of the Lenconi model and then use the H5P interaction to test your knowledge. Drag the correct description to the appropriate component.
Having examined the 5 models, complete the following exercise.
EXERCISE 4.6 Apply these models to your experience
Apply one or more of these models to your past or current experience of teamwork:
- Have you engaged in the Tuckman team formation steps?
- Can you determine which of the DISC characteristics most closely matches your personality traits?
- Have you experienced a team project where misaligned goals or unclear roles had a negative impact?
- Do you think learning about the conflict modes or typical dysfunctions can help make your future team experiences more productive?
- Could you propose an alternative model for effective teamwork?
- P. Lencioni, Five Dysfunctions of a Team, New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2002. ↵
