Amazon.com Review Once again using an astutely written fictional tale to unambiguously but painlessly deliver some hard truths about critical business procedures, Patrick Lencioni targets group behavior in the final entry of his trilogy of corporate fables. And like those preceding it, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an entertaining, quick read filled with useful information that will prove easy to digest and implement. This time, Lencioni weaves his lessons around the story of a troubled Silicon Valley firm and its unexpected choice for a new CEO: an old-school manager who had retired from a traditional manufacturing company two years earlier at age 55. Showing exactly how existing personnel failed to function as a unit, and precisely how the new boss worked to reestablish that essential conduct, the book's first part colorfully illustrates the ways that teamwork can elude even the most dedicated individuals--and be restored by an insightful leader. A second part offers details on Lencioni's "five dysfunctions" (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results), along with a questionnaire for readers to use in evaluating their own teams and specifics to help them understand and overcome these common shortcomings. Like the author's previous books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, this is highly recommended. --Howard Rothman
Product Description In The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Patrick Lencioni once again offers a leadership fable that is as enthralling and instructive as his first two best-selling books, The Five Temptations of a CEO and The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive. This time, he turns his keen intellect and storytelling power to the fascinating, complex world of teams.
Kathryn Petersen, Decision Tech's CEO, faces the ultimate leadership crisis: Uniting a team in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. Will she succeed? Will she be fired? Will the company fail? Lencioni's utterly gripping tale serves as a timeless reminder that leadership requires as much courage as it does insight.
Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team. Just as with his other books, Lencioni has written a compelling fable with a powerful yet deceptively simple message for all those who strive to be exceptional team leaders.
Terrific book for agents, not principals-- so one MAJOR point missingSeptember 8, 2010 A. Mandelman(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) This is a book for agents, not principals. Agents are like hunting dogs-- they need a master to put them in a team, tell them where to run to, then give them a bonus bone. Principals are like wolves. They cut deals with other wolves, then hunt together, then divide the kill based on the deal.
This book is about tricks to make hunting dogs behave like wolves, for the benefit of the head wolf who owns the joint.
The one missing point is thus, obviously, HOW MUCH OF THE JOINT DOES EACH DOG OWN? If the workers own a big piece of the action, they'll cooperate when necessary, go into conflict when necessary, trust when necessary, etc. etc. In other words: If the top wolf / wolverine gave in advance a big piece of the company to each worker, they would snarl just like him / her. Barring that, hunting dogs will behave, well, like dogs. You want them to be wolves? Give them a big piece of the kill, and see them growing teeth, claws, and yes, brains.
AM
Useless stack of manure - pure dreckSeptember 1, 2010 A. E. Spey 8 out of 11 found this review helpful
I've never hated anything more than this useless pile of garbage. Not only are any lessons from this fable (by the way, fable?really?) either utterly pointless or redundant, the writing itself is terrible. It's atrocious. It's almost impressive how far Lencioni goes to avoid actively describing how his characters act. People also "seem" to react "as if" things we're happening. It's like Lencioni doesn't realize the narrator can just tell you that somebody was shocked. Nope, we are told that the "seemed shocked." And the number of times people nod in this book is maddening. Truly an astonishingly bad book. I shudder at the thought of legions of business school students being exposed to this pablum ever year. What a colossal waste of time and resources.
I'd rather gargle dog vomit than read this book again.
What a gem!August 31, 2010 C. Rowe(Atlanta, GA) A quick read, this book is like a minefield full of gems. Most of us probably have no idea how dysfunctional our teams really are - one read through this book can show you exactly where to spend your time. We so often get caught up in making sure the work is done that we forget that working together as a team is most important - the work being done is irrelevant if your team isn't functioning properly.
Whether you work for a profit company, a nonprofit organization, a religious organization or educational institution, this book is well worth a read.
20 Pages of MeatAugust 23, 2010 Maurice Hagar(Raleigh, NC USA) Finally dusted this off after years in the queue. It's an easy read--about one flight's worth. But I'm just not a fan of the 200 page fable. The summary is good stuff at about 20 pages and important enough to deserve a "recommended read" but too short for five stars.
Love the format / approach to the bookJuly 27, 2010 Robert S. Tipton, Innovative Change Author(Colorado) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have read this book three or four times by now, and have used it for years as a discussion starter with executive and leadership teams. I love the "right brain / left brain" approach that Mr. Lencioni uses to make his message approachable (fable / model). In fact, I liked his approach so much I incorporated it into my own book on innovative change, JUMP! - Get Unstuck.
I recommend "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" to everyone who is part of any organization -- for profit, non-profit, government, educational, personal, professional, etc. There's a great deal of wisdom here.
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