Overview
Patrick Lencioni is a renowned American book writer. Most of his books are written on corporate management, predominantly regarding crew management. In the book “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”, Lencioni discloses the basics of cooperation by using a management parable. He tells a story of a technology corporation that has trouble as it is unable to expand and find new clientele. The new business leader identifies that the company has pioneering products and great aptitude.
Nevertheless, the managers are not working together as a squad, opposing the benefits of the corporation’s advanced products and brilliant employees. The team is stressed with their state of affairs and are incapable of coming to the arrangement on a decent solution to their difficulties. The team dynamic forces corroded into the situation where no one is accepting to be in charge, deadlines are being ignored, and morale is low. The managerial team is incapable of making imperative choices and, consequently, the company is trailing behind in the battle for the marketplace share.
Purpose
The purpose of this book is to prove wrong the managers that believe that everything they do is on point, and there is no place for failure, as one should always be aware of the risks that the company and the team would encounter on the tough road to success. Lencioni provides the reader with the information concerning the five basic dysfunctions that inevitably lead to misunderstanding and confusion within a great crew.
He makes a statement that an example of intense teamwork is not a theoretical approach but a rather practical assessment of discipline and determination. The key point of the book is that we should constantly reevaluate the interpersonal relations within any team with the intention of finding the perfect team chemistry.
Evaluation
The author achieved his goals by developing a basic needs structure that reflected the elementary levels of employee-employee relations within a team. He also dwells on the indicators he believes may be the reason for methodical complications for the business. Lencioni states that the essential pillar that holds the team together is the trust as there is no true collaboration if the trust is missing (Lencioni, 2012).
As a relevant source of evidence, the author uses the fact of the importance of balancing between the team integrity and the ability of an employee to compliment the team. Lencioni’s study finds evidence in quite a few limitations that can be found in the majority of current team management models (Lencioni, 2012).
Lencioni offers numerous original ideas when it comes to acknowledging the imperfections of humanity as an instrument to overcome the complications and perfect the teamwork. In a work situation where crew members do not willingly express their ideas, mediocre decisions are regularly the consequence (Lencioni, 2012). In Lencioni’s opinion, it is every manager’s responsibility to evoke the want and need to hear what other say and be heard by the teammates.
There is a point in this book concerning the work in teams that supposes that you need to realize that conflict is prolific, and that is not convincing at all. Every team member usually relies on his own experience and is an individual personality with their own values and beliefs. The problem, in this case, lies in the fact that the conflicting teammates might inadvertently cause damage to the business or the team itself.
One thing that may be considered left out from Lencioni’s book is the profound explanation of how to stop people from avoiding answerability. In other words, Lencioni’s reasons are clear, but there is not enough enlightenment on the topic of how to manage irresponsible team members properly when they are, in fact, the key component of the crew.
“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” is useful because it exposes the reader to the realities of teamwork and explains the notions that might be useful even for those who are not bound to their nine-to-five jobs. The book dwells on the importance of understanding the key features that define a great team leader and carefully guides the reader through the conception of a great team member.
When it comes to the personal life, I believe that this book is a nice assistant. The purpose of this book is, evidently, to teach people how to work and behave in any team. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most relevant skills in the modern society as even the society itself is one big team that requires proficient managers to stand at the helm.
In relation to the working life, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” reveals the secrets behind interpersonal relationships. This book might be applicable on bigger or smaller scales for the reason that it provides excellent insight into the chemistry of a team that knows what it does and how it should be done.
If we speak about the relationship between the culture and the book contents, the peculiar benefit of this book for the UAE is the universality of the managing methods designated in the book that would totally fit both the progressive and the more or less outdated management schemes that are currently used in the majority of the UAE companies.
Summary
The model delivered by the author is easy to understand. This book would be helpful to anyone, who leads a team. This book will help you recognize what are the main aspects of an effective team. I would rate “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” 10 out of 10, and my recommendation for the would-be readers is to incorporate into practice the methods elaborated by Lencioni.
Reference
Lencioni, P. (2012). The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.