The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Book Review: Recognise anyone ?
Summary: 5 Stars
If you work in a team where things don't always go the way you'd expect then this is a book you should read. I bought it for three reasons: it's short, it's a single story, I needed something to read on a flight.Short: Forget about those long management tomes which lose your attention after page 5 and feel like homework. This is a simple short story which Lencioni uses to illustrate his points on team membership leadership, membership and engagement. You will read this in two hours.
Single Story: Like me are you tired of reading all those guru books that read like a collage of name dropping and half pages of useless anecdotes? This book has a story line that will engage and retain you attention without forcing management bs down your retinas on every page. It's readable , the characters plausible and you will want to turn the page.
Makes Sense: Like anything good that has ever been written on management there is a healthy dose of common sense here. Unlike many other books I liked the fact that it does not contain the "How To" as much as it illustrates how to recognise specific issues in Teams and offers ideas on how to deal with them. The model used is simple and progressive and you can't apply it in one minute.
Does it work ? I have no idea but I will definitely use the ideas.
Recognise Anyone? absolutely.
Recommend it to a friend ? Yes and I'll also leave a copy on my bosses desk when I leave!
Book Review: More, please
Summary: 5 Stars
I totally agree with the comment already here that I think the idea behind these books is just superb: cloak some of the more difficult management topics in the guise of a totally engaging story (isn't that what the world is all about, anyway?) "Gung Ho", a similar parable book, is just as good, and a new one called "Beans" is another example of how powerful these stories can be. I give them to my department now and again and it appears that they are being read and appreciated. "Beans" even has some group discussion questions at the end of the book, which we will be using in an upcoming staff meeting. Plus, I agree it's fun to replace some of the names in these books with those of similarly dysfunctional people in my own office!Book Review: Highly Recommended!
Summary: 5 Stars
Patrick Lencioni offers a satisfactory fable about an executive wrestling to take hold of a company and create a smoothly functioning executive team. The narrative moves right along as he addresses the problem of feckless teamwork with the fictitious Decision Tech company as a test case. The novel is interesting, and you can read through it easily, getting to know the characters and participating in their business decisions. However, if you just want to learn about better teamwork quickly and leave, skim to the final chapters. Here, the author outlines a detailed model for diagnosing the five dysfunctions of a team and provides exercises and techniques to ameliorate those dysfunctions. The advice is complete and concrete. We recommend the meat and potatoes diagnosis and solutions as well as the cake and ice cream story, but how much narrative you want to read may depend on what shape your team is in when you start, as well as on your taste for tales.Book Review: Short, sharp, interesting read with good, solid advice !
Summary: 5 Stars
Sound (and usable) tenets of teamwork wrapped up in a very readble and interesting story. Great way to get the points across, and the characters are definitely believable - you'll recognize most of them.The last section offers simple, practical and useful remedies for dysfunctional teams but doesn't condescend or patronise, in the way that the 'One Minute manager' books do.
Easily read in two or three hours and offering good advice.
Book Review: The best model for team development I've found.
Summary: 5 Stars
I usually hate management books with "parables" in because I find them badly written, contrived and twee. This one is better than most - the story is plausible (and familiar) and Lencioni's writing style is punchy and clear. More importantly, it conceals an excellent model of senior team development. What I like about the model is that all the stuff I already use in organisational development slots in nicely: what it gives is a clear roadmap. Using the model, both the facilitator and the participants can all be clear about what they are doing and why. For example, I've used psychometrics many times, but using them within the framework of building trust (the first stage in the model) seemed to make the learning deeper and more lasting.
Anyone who is part of a senior level team (where the team members are also team leaders), or anyone who works with these teams should find the book useful.