The Five Dysfunctions of a Team cover art

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

A Leadership Fable

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About this listen

 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. Leadership Management Management & Leadership Business Thought-Provoking Business Management

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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 is this narrator on? His idea of a British person working in a tech company is like the father in Mary Poppins. Mary Poppins was full of caricatures but this is not a comedy book. This is incredibly annoying which distracts from the important message of this book. If he was representing another nation with such a bizarrely stereotypical accent everyone would shout “racist”. This point is that this is a ridiculous narration that detracts from the content.

Management theory/Mary Poppins

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Great book. Brilliantly explained principles on team development and performance. A must for every manager. Thank you Audible.

loved it

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Great for understanding what is needed in a team to thrive and be productive. Explains how conflict is good and how to manage it.

Everyone should read this book

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A great book which is well narrated and told as a story which makes it engaging and interesting to listen to ! I would definitely recommend this book .

Loved It!

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Loved it. Very applicable to my workplace. Help my understanding of the team and their interaction

Insightful

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A very insightful & and enjoyable book.

Very relevant to leaders (and teams alike) in any industry.

Well narrated with good pace & easy to listen to.

Hightly recommended.

An invaluable book for Leaders & teams

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This is both easy listening & hard at the same time! Patrick Lencioni tells a story that models how to encourage teamwork, including an excellent demonstration of how to handle tricky responses & characters. It's easy to listen to as it's in story form; hard because, whilst the ideas are simple, the practice of them is hard, ongoing work - but as the book shows, the rewards are worth it. The excellent summary & overview of the 5 key points at the end is a very helpful recap.

A must-read for all would-be leaders

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We all work in teams. We will all recognise ourselves and others in this fable. We can all learn from it.

Very thought provoking

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Great read and really insightful... Will swing back to it again in a few weeks for sure.

Self-reflection here I come!

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you don't need more to understand team leading.
one start detracted for the beginning of the story. it was unnecessary for me

everything about teams

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