The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (2002)

At tandi, we believe that a strong team is the foundation of every successful organization. Yet many teams struggle with trust, commitment, and accountability—even when they have talented individuals. In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni offers a simple but powerful model to diagnose and overcome the most common challenges that derail teamwork.

Core Ideas of the Book

Lencioni presents his insights through a business fable—making the book both engaging and highly relatable. The story follows a newly appointed CEO working to transform a dysfunctional executive team. Through this narrative, Lencioni introduces five interrelated dysfunctions that prevent teams from performing at their best. These dysfunctions are structured as a pyramid, where each level supports the next.

1. Absence of Trust

• At the foundation of any high-performing team is vulnerability-based trust.

• Team members must feel safe to admit mistakes, ask for help, and be transparent with one another.

• Without trust, teams remain guarded and focused on self-preservation.

Key insight: Teams must create a culture where it’s safe to be real—even when it’s uncomfortable.

2. Fear of Conflict

• Teams that lack trust also tend to avoid healthy, productive conflict.

• Without open debate and honest dialogue, bad ideas go unchallenged, and groupthink prevails.

• Conflict avoidance often leads to artificial harmony, where unresolved issues simmer under the surface.

Key insight: Constructive conflict is a sign of a healthy team, not a dysfunctional one.

3. Lack of Commitment

• When team members don't speak up during discussions, they often don't truly buy into the decisions that follow.

• This leads to ambiguity, second-guessing, and half-hearted execution.

• Commitment isn’t about consensus—it’s about clarity and buy-in, even when not everyone agrees.

Key insight: Teams that debate openly are more likely to commit to a clear course of action.

4. Avoidance of Accountability

• When there’s a lack of commitment, team members hesitate to hold each other accountable.

• Peer-to-peer accountability is far more effective than relying on managers to enforce behavior.

• Teams need to set clear standards and call out behaviors that fall short.

Key insight: Accountability works best when it’s mutual, not top-down.

5. Inattention to Results

• Ultimately, if team members prioritize individual goals or department silos over collective results, the team suffers.

• True teams put shared outcomes above personal success, recognition, or ego.

• Focusing on team results creates alignment and unity of effort.

Key insight: High-performing teams stay laser-focused on shared goals, not individual wins.

Practical Takeaways You Can Use in Your Organization

If you’ve noticed signs of dysfunction in your team—missed deadlines, low trust, unresolved tension—Lencioni’s model provides clear steps to turn things around. Here’s how to apply the concepts in your team:

Build Trust Through Vulnerability

• Model openness as a leader: share mistakes, ask for help, and be honest about challenges.

• Try a team exercise like the “Personal Histories” activity to encourage empathy and connection.

• Create a culture of psychological safety where it's okay to not have all the answers.

Why it matters: Vulnerability breaks down barriers and builds deep, durable trust.

Normalize Healthy Conflict

• Set ground rules for respectful disagreement.

• During meetings, actively invite dissenting views and praise those who speak up.

• Use tools like the “Conflict Continuum” to help the team understand the difference between productive and destructive conflict.

Why it matters: Open debate leads to better decisions and stronger team alignment.

Clarify and Commit

• Make sure every meeting ends with a clear understanding of decisions and next steps.

• Avoid vague agreements—summarize what’s been decided and who owns what.

• Remind the team: consensus is not required, but clarity is.

Why it matters: When everyone knows what’s expected, execution improves.

Encourage Peer Accountability

• Set clear performance expectations and team norms.

• Encourage team members to hold each other accountable, not just rely on the leader.

• Use techniques like a "team scoreboard" to make performance visible.

Why it matters: Peer accountability fosters shared responsibility and stronger performance.

Focus on Collective Results

• Define and share team goals openly—and review progress regularly.

• Reward team success over individual achievements.

• Address behaviors that prioritize ego or siloed wins over team performance.

Why it matters: When the team wins together, everyone benefits.

Conclusion: Turning Dysfunction Into Strength

At tandi, we’ve found that The Five Dysfunctions of a Team continues to be one of the most practical and powerful frameworks for building trust-based, high-performing teams. The beauty of Lencioni’s model is its simplicity—and how quickly it helps teams name their issues, have honest conversations, and start changing how they work together.

If your team is stuck, or if you want to move from good to great, The Five Dysfunctions provides a clear path forward. As you work on trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results, you’ll unlock a healthier team dynamic and better business outcomes.

If you enjoyed this summary, we encourage you to read the full book. More information about it can be found here. Find summaries about other great books in our Blog Series - A Journey of Inspiration.