Today, this article is based on the fabulous book written by
Patrick Lencioni. The book is “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team- A LEADERSHIP
FABLE”. The article is not entirely dependent on this book. It gives a little
idea about the book and rest is my thoughts.
We have already given an article on LEADERSHIP. And we all
know what LEADERSHIP is and how important this is. So, let’s not waste any time
and quickly move onto the five dysfunctions.
- LACK of TRUST AMONG TEAM MEMBERS
- FEAR of CONFLICT
- LACK of COMMITMENT
- AVOIDANCE of ACCOUNTABILITY
- INATTENTION to RESULTS
So, let’s talk about the first dysfunction- “LACK OF TRUST
AMONG TEAM MEMBERS”. This is a very serious problem because it leads to next
dysfunction. Suppose if our Indian Cricket Team members don’t trust each other.
What will happen in this scenario? Answer is quiet simple; the team will lose
every match. Similarly, for any organization to become successful, its members
must trust each other. If they don’t trust each other; they will hesitate in
asking for help and they will never tell each other about their flaws.
This distrust leads
to next dysfunction-“FEAR OF CONFLICT”. Due to this, team members hesitate to
share their views on a particular topic, and they say ‘ÝES’, even when they
don’t agree with a particular business model. Hence, no new ideas come around.
This one kills the creativity. And the team members agree on a particular thing
not because they actually like that idea, but this is because they are trying
to avoid a conflict that might happen on their disagreement. Just to maintain
the harmony. How would such a team succeed? And again this dysfunction leads to
next one, which is, “LACK OF COMMITMENT”. This lack of commitment, according to
me is the most miserable thing that can happen to a team. Because if your team
is not ready to commit, then how in the name of god you are going to succeed.
Having a bunch of people as a team who are not committed to your goal or
mission is just useless. So, select those who are ready to commit. Because you
are the team leader and everything is basically in your hands, because you are
the one who is leading.
This again leads to next dysfunction-“AVOIDANCE OF
ACCOUNTABILITY”. Due to this, the team members are not ready to take risks with
the whole team. They are not ready to tolerate the interpersonal discomforts
that they might face while working as a team. And this one again leads to next
dysfunction, which is “INATTENTION TO RESULTS”. The members who are inattentive
to the results don’t care about the mission or the collective goal of the team.
They only care about their personal benefits. They care more about their
personal achievements. So as a team leader, you tell me, is such a person
needed in your team? Would you prefer a selfish person who don’t give a damn to
your mission and only cares about his/her personal growth? Obviously, the
answer is no. No one wants such people as their team members.
So, as a team leader, it’s your sole duty to make a team,
whose members trust each other. I believe that if we succeed in making a team
of loyal members, who are loyal to themselves as well as to the team, is
sufficient enough to avoid all other dysfunctions. What are your thoughts
regarding this, write in comment section.