Christian Leadership Alliance

Capital Fundraising

Price: $12.50
Member Price: $10.00

See more …


In which Season does your ministry raise the most financial resources each year?

Take the poll

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Why Managers and Leaders Must Address Patrick Lencioni's Top Five Reasons Teams Struggle and Fail
Eugene Habecker | Outcomes, Jan/Feb 2006

In my nearly 25 years of experience as a CEO in Christian non-profits, I have found considerable confusion in organizations about teams and how they function. Patrick Lencioni masterfully provides clarity and insight in this critical area, and helps us see what a healthy team looks like in action.

In his book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he describes the five most common ways that teams are likely to struggle and fail:

Dysfunction #1.
Absence of Trust

Lencioni defines trust as "the confidence among team members that their peers' intentions are good, and that there is no reason to be protective or careful around the group." This means that team members are open and honest about their "weaknesses, skill deficiencies, interpersonal shortcomings, mistakes, and requests for help."

Unfortunately, the vast majority of workers (even in Christian organizations) still opt to keep their vulnerabilities hidden—seeking to avoid criticism and protect their image among bosses and peers.

Dysfunction #2.
Fear of Conflict

Lencioni is not referring here to the "ideological conflict" of different ideas and concepts but rather to "destructive fighting and interpersonal politics." Ironically, Christian organizations often create a climate that is adverse to healthy conflict. It happens when a corporate value of "community" is interpreted as "avoiding conflict at any cost."  In such cases, conflict remains largely unresolved—driven underground instead, and relegated to whispered exchanges in hallways and bathrooms.

Dysfunction #3.
Lack of Commitment

We know instinctively that forward momentum in an organization is stifled by workers who are not fully committed to the organization and its goals. Unfortunately, many leaders know the reality of "agreement in the room" only to see it evaporate when the meeting adjourns and people return to their own turf and personal agendas. The result is pervasive organizational confusion, ambiguity, and misalignment of strategies and goals. Lencioni cautions that "more than any of the dysfunctions, this one creates dangerous ripple effects for subordinates"—resulting in even deeper discord.

Dysfunction #4.
Avoidance of Accountability

Lencioni defines accountability as the need for members of a team to hold other members fully accountable for their part in contributing to the results and the behaviors agreed by the team: " … specifically … the willingness of team members to call their peers on performance or behaviors that might hurt the team."  Lencioni exhorts us to recognize the power of "peer pressure" and apply it constructively.