Reflections from an Engineer's Perspective on the Book **The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" An Analytical Review of Leadership Insights.
Bhadresh Prajapati (P. E.)
Sr. Materials and Corrosion Engineer at Cheveron Phillips Chemical Company
This year, I made a New Year's resolution to read more books. I've read a few great books so far; some were interesting, some were inspiring, but there was one that I wish I hadn't picked up. The book I'm referring to is "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team." After reading it, I found myself questioning whether it should be considered a good book or simply corporate drama. The book's main message is that a team can achieve anything if they're "all rowing in the same direction," but I found this to be a bit idealistic and disconnected from reality.?
I appreciated the second part of the book, titled "The Model," which explains the "Dysfunctions Pyramid" and offers suggestions. According to the Author, Dysfunction is attributed to five characteristics and are explained in a few words. These attributes are:
1) Lake of Trust,
2) Fear of Conflict (Nodding head!)
3) Lake of Commitment
4) Avoidance of Accountability
5) Inattention to result.
However, the first part of the book can be summarized as a "self-centered story told from a single perspective." It lacks insight into the consequences of senior management's decisions and does not provide any data to support its claims, nor does it include real-world analysis or comparisons, which I would describe as nothing but "corporate drama". The author attempts to connect several important aspects of business, including: 1) Revenue, 2) Expenses, 3) New Customer Acquisition, 4) Current Customer Satisfaction, 5) Employee Retention, 6) Market Awareness, and 7) Product Quality. However, the narrative does not effectively tie these elements together or address the Dysfunction Pyramid.
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Unfortunately, the story lacks both quality of writing and excitement. If it were a real story, I would also be rolling my eyes like Mickey (a female character described as quick, efficient, and outstanding in her work!) at clueless management above her level.?The person who is quick, efficient, and takes great care of her team gets fired! And worst, the CEO who fired her does not understand the technology.?Do you think Elon Musk doesn't know how EV works??The point is that no one can respect a leader who doesn't understand what she's been asked to lead.?Even worse, it should be up to anyone but the actual boss to decide the team's goals. I can't imagine how well this would fly at innovative companies like NVIDIA or Apple. Furthermore, can this book explain the collapse of the once-famous Blockbuster franchise?
The better title of the book could be "How to Fire an Employee," as it seems to promote tactics such as Setting unrealistic targets and criticizing individuals for missing deadlines or Remaining Passively aggressive towards them. From a professional perspective, I strongly disagree with the story and its concept, summarized in the following points.?
1) Only your supervisor can decide your goal. You don't get to determine what is and isn't best for you. Think briefly about how well this would fly in a high-tech company like NVIDIA or TESLA.
2) Everyone should sacrifice their personal goals in favor of the "team" goals. You don't get to think about your career! You don't get to decide what is and what is not best for you. And if you don't like it? Get out. Why would anyone ever want to work for a boss who thinks like that? That's a team killer. It's a philosophy of pure poison.
The author has missed the key message: In the business, particularly in the manufacturing and production environment, the key to success lies in producing "quality products" at the lowest possible cost. This requires a delicate balance between minimizing downtime and maximizing equipment reliability at the lowest possible cost (i.e. minimizing downtime while maximizing equipment reliability, all within a cost-effective framework). This delicate balance requires the presence of skillful representatives, including leaders who know what they are leading and technocrats who can quickly identify and resolve production line problems.
A leader without vision will lose skilled people and replace them with individuals incapable of engaging in tasks, leading to veiled discussions and guarded comments. This becomes the principal cause of the "Lake of Trust" at the base of the Dysfunction pyramid and cascades to the top, "Inattention to the result."
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1 周The ability to balance the 7 factors seems to be what separates extraordinary organizations from ordinary. I've noticed these factors are often prioritized differently between Sr/Middle Management & independent contributors. Having an impactful mission across the entire organization, that customers connect with, is when I've seen the 7 factors balanced most.
Technical Marketing Manager at Rolled Alloys
3 周Bhadresh Prajapati (P. E.) great first article! I like the overall flow and the amount of information/examples you use to back up your views. Looking forward to reading other articles you put out!