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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

By: Patrick Lencioni
Narrated by: Charles Stransky; introduction by Patrick Lencioni
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Summary

In keeping with the parable style, Patrick Lencioni begins by telling the fable of a woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. Story time over, Lencioni offers explicit instructions for overcoming the human behavioral tendencies that he says corrupt teams (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results). Succinct yet sympathetic, this guide will be a boon for those struggling with the inherent difficulties of leading a group.

Building a cohesive team is not complicated, declares Lencioni. Departing from the dry, theoretical writing of many management books, he presents his case in the context of a fictional organization, and in doing so succeeds at communicating his ideas. The scenarios are recognizable and can be applied anywhere teamwork is involved, whether it is a multinational company, a small department within a larger organization, or a sports team. At the end of the story, the main points are summarized, and clearly expressed suggestions and exercises are offered to help bring about change. Concise and easy to follow, this program is recommended for anyone who is a member of a team that needs improvement.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is also available in print from Wiley.

©2002 Patrick Lencioni
(P)2002 Random House Inc.
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Critic reviews

"A gripping analysis of what makes teams work effectively. This fine work is a must-read for any leader that has come to grips with the fact that no one makes progress - much less succeeds - alone." (James Amos, president and CEO, Mail Boxes Etc.)

What listeners say about The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

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Learn why building trust, builds your team

Would you consider the audio edition of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team to be better than the print version?

I loved the audio edition so much I bought the book. The book contains some great practical exercises at the end of the book to do with your team to build trust, to manage tough topics etc, so while I will probably listen to the book again, I use the print copy for reference.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team?

There were many lightbulbs moments in the book, but a couple that made me smile were when the CEO had her first face-to-face challenge with her sales manager, who had purposely booked a customer meeting in the middle of her first management retreat to avoid going. The way she managed it was poetic. Then other was when she told the story to her team about her own career mistakes. As a young consultant she hadn't understood the importance of The Team, and through her own naive logic promoted the team's high performer who was also the top team destroyer. She got fired.

What does Charles Stransky; introduction by Patrick Lencioni bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

I always prefer audio books that have been recorded with the author. It shows a level of care for the audience that I greatly appreciate. In this case Patrick recorded the introduction to set the scene, and having the voice and the picture, really helps me connect with him.

Charles Stransky does a great job telling the story (even if his English accent is terrible ;) ) His voice skills helps the listener focus on the meaning of the content rather than having to imagine the scenerio. Great job.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was totally inspired after reading this book. I immediately starting discussing the concepts with my colleagues and I have the book with me as a constant reminder. It's not something that I can fully take on board in one go, so I plan to go through it again on my next road trip, to cover the key topics more thoroughly.

Any additional comments?

Highly recommend it. The storytelling approach really worked for me to understand how to apply the theory. Thumbs up!

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Easy listen and simple messagr

Style is similar to that of 'the goal' by E. Goldratt. Listened in a single sitting and took away a few action points.

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Great analysis of a failing team

Great insight for larger organisations and why teams fail. very useful insight for staff and management.

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2nd Time Listening - So Enjoyable!

I love a good story, but I love learning and personal development even more, so when I come across a blend of all three I’m in my ‘happy place’… This book has me asking myself some important questions - and also questioning the ‘importance’ of some of these very characters along my journey…. A must-listen for anyone interested in relationships and people and how we can fit them together to make our work, business, home-life, groups and teams function better!

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The story makes it an easy listen

The story really helped to understand the meaning of the dysfunctions.

The overview and tips at the end help solidify learning and offers some good tips to overcome some team challenges.

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helping to identify what needs to change

I really found the idea of having most of this delivered in story form very helpful. Nice and clear, broken down into 5 key areas that need assessing for any team. Lots of awareness and practical tools given to implement in your team.

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Superb storytelling; Useful insights.

Practical insights for anyone already working towards building a formidable and successful team. It helps bring experiences together in a "oh here's what we've got to do" kind of way.

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A lovely fable

Very easy to listen to (apart from the narrators attempt at an English accent). I enjoyed it.


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very applicable lessons

the story constructed in this book is done so in such a way that it is paste for people to understand and absorb the lessons and see a tangible application with their teams. despite the story being fictional it is not so far from genuine teams and it was enormously interesting and engaging to listen to

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Non Nonsense approach to team building!

Great book to wake you up to how a team can so easily not be functioning well. The book is basically a example of how an outsider comes in and picks up on the issues and makes the people understand the errors of their ways and empowers them to make the change, with a little bit of negotiation! If you are either creating a new team or have a long standing team that needs to be more effective this is a great short listen!

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