Build a Team That Actually Works Together
The Five Dysfunctions model reveals why even talented teams fail—and gives you a clear path to turn dysfunction into high performance.
Most teams aren't dysfunctional because people are incompetent. They fail because of predictable, avoidable behaviors that no one names out loud. Politics. Artificial harmony. Vague decisions that no one commits to. The reluctance to call out a colleague who's dropping the ball.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team cuts through the noise. Created by Patrick Lencioni, this model identifies the five most common reasons teams struggle—and more importantly, shows you exactly how to fix them. It's not theory. It's a practical roadmap used by thousands of teams worldwide to get past the behaviors that hold them back.
Five Dysfunctions - Where Does Your Team Stand?
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Teams can't function when members are afraid to be vulnerable. Without trust, people hide mistakes, avoid asking for help, and waste energy protecting themselves instead of solving problems together.
What it looks like: Guardedness. Reluctance to admit weaknesses. Jumping to conclusions about others' intentions. Keeping up appearances instead of being honest.
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When teams lack trust, they avoid the passionate, unfiltered debates that lead to the best decisions. Instead, they settle for artificial harmony, veiled comments, and issues that never get resolved.
What it looks like: Boring meetings. Topics avoided because they're "too sensitive." Decisions made without real buy-in. Unspoken resentment.
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If people don't feel heard—if their concerns aren't aired and debated—they won't truly commit to decisions. They'll feign agreement, then quietly undermine or ignore what was decided.
What it looks like: Ambiguity about priorities. Excessive analysis. Revisiting decisions that were supposedly final. People saying "I told you so" when things go wrong.
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Without commitment, no one wants to hold their peers accountable for performance or behavior. Standards slip. Deadlines get missed. Mediocrity becomes acceptable.
What it looks like: Allowing poor performance to slide. Relying on the leader to be the bad guy. Lowering the bar rather than addressing the problem.
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At the top of the pyramid, teams that haven't built the lower levels focus on individual success, status, or departmental goals instead of the collective outcome. The team exists, but it's not really working as a team.
What it looks like: Celebrating individual achievement while the team fails. Protecting turf. Prioritizing looking good over actually winning.
From Assessment to Action in Four Steps
1
Assessment
Your team completes a 42-question assessment that identifies where dysfunction exists. The results are color-coded and immediately actionable.
2
Facilitated Debrief
We walk through the results together, naming the patterns that have been holding the team back. This is where people start saying out loud what they've been thinking for months.
What Changes
Real Accountability Without the Drama
Stop being the only person willing to call out problems. When teams trust each other and commit to shared goals, peer accountability becomes natural—not awkward.
Decisions That Actually Stick
When people engage in real debate and feel genuinely heard, they commit to decisions even when they initially disagreed. No more quiet sabotage or revisiting settled issues.
Less Time Wasted on Politics
Dysfunction is expensive. Teams spend half their energy managing artificial harmony and unspoken tension. This model eliminates that drain so you can focus on actual work.
A Culture People Want to Stay In
High-performing teams aren't about working harder—they're about trust, candor, and focusing on something bigger than individual status. That's what makes people stay.
3
Interactive Workshop
Half-day or full-day session (virtual or in-person) where we build the five key behaviors through exercises and real scenarios. You're not just learning the model—you're practicing it.
4
Action Planning
You leave with specific commitments: how you'll run meetings, make decisions, track results, and address issues when they arise.
Who is this for?
This is especially valuable if your team:
Has productive meetings where nothing real gets discussed
Makes decisions that get quietly ignored or undermined
Is full of talented people who struggle to collaborate
Avoids giving honest feedback or holding peers accountable
Has been together for a while but still feels disconnected
Ready to Build a Functional, High-Performing Team?
Whether you're a senior leadership team trying to align on strategy, a department struggling with accountability, or a project team that's lost its momentum, the Five Dysfunctions model gives you a clear starting point.
We'll help you diagnose where dysfunction exists and build the behaviors that lead to real teamwork—trust, productive conflict, commitment, accountability, and a relentless focus on collective results.