The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

As a leadership coach and trainer, I have worked with many teams at different stages of their journey toward success. There’s one model I often come back to when I notice a team struggling to reach its full potential: Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. It’s a powerful, straightforward framework that shines a light on the common pitfalls teams face, and it's one I regularly use to help teams get back on track. Let me walk you through it:

1. Absence of Trust

The foundation of any effective team is trust. Without it, people are hesitant to be vulnerable, afraid to admit mistakes or ask for help. In one of my recent training sessions with a leadership team, I noticed that there was a lot of guarded behavior. People were hesitant to voice their real opinions, fearing judgment or criticism. We tackled this head-on by doing an exercise where each person shared a professional failure. The room felt tense at first, but slowly, as the leaders began to open up, you could feel the shift. Vulnerability built connection, and that trust started to grow. Suddenly, everyone was more engaged, and collaboration became easier.

2. Fear of Conflict

Healthy conflict is essential for creativity and problem-solving. Yet, so many teams avoid conflict like the plague! I once worked with a marketing team that was all smiles in meetings but stuck in a rut of stagnation. After some digging, it became clear that no one was willing to challenge ideas or have tough conversations. Together, we worked on reframing conflict as productive and necessary. In a playful twist, we created a “conflict jar,” where people had to put in a token each time they shied away from speaking up! Slowly but surely, they became more comfortable with pushing back, and their meetings became spaces for lively, constructive debates.

3. Lack of Commitment

Without trust and healthy conflict, commitment is the next casualty. A team that doesn’t openly discuss differing viewpoints won’t fully buy into decisions. I often use role-playing exercises to bring this dysfunction to life. In one session, I asked a team to simulate a high-stakes decision-making process where everyone had differing priorities. By allowing each person to voice concerns (even in exaggerated roles), we unlocked a new level of understanding. They saw the value of hashing out disagreements, and once that happened, commitment to decisions grew.

4. Avoidance of Accountability

Accountability can be tricky—especially when people are uncomfortable calling out their peers. I remember facilitating a team that had all the right talent but kept missing deadlines. Turns out, no one was holding each other accountable for results. To address this, we created a playful but serious “accountability calendar,” where responsibilities were made crystal clear, and each person had to check in on progress. We mixed in a bit of humor by giving out playful “accountability crowns” during team meetings to the person who followed through on tasks. This simple act encouraged accountability in a non-intimidating way, and soon the whole team was aligned and taking ownership.

5. Inattention to Results

Finally, if team members focus more on personal success than team success, results suffer. I once worked with a sales team where everyone was laser-focused on their individual targets. While each person was doing well on their own, the overall team results were flat. It was clear there was more pride in personal achievements than in collective wins. Through a series of team-building exercises and shared goals, we shifted their mindset. We even had a lighthearted “team leaderboard” where milestones were celebrated as a group, not just individually. This created a shift where success was measured not just by personal goals, but by the team’s performance as a whole.

Bringing It All Together

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team model is a blueprint that I regularly turn to because it addresses the human side of teamwork. Teams are made up of people, and people are messy, complex, and wonderfully imperfect! But when we face these dysfunctions with openness, vulnerability, and a bit of playfulness, magic happens.

I’ve seen teams go from stuck and frustrated to thriving and aligned, simply by working through these dysfunctions together. If you’re leading a team, or part of one, ask yourself where you might be seeing these challenges—and know that they’re fixable with a little guidance and intention.

What’s your biggest takeaway from the Five Dysfunctions? Have you experienced any of these challenges in your team? Let’s connect and share ideas!