Team's Success In The Five Dysfunctions Of A Team

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an informative novel about what hinders a team’s success in any faculty. But the novel truly focuses on what teams need to do well to strive forward and lead in their respective field. While this novel was written from the standpoint of a business and that of a well oiled executive team, it’s lessons can be attributed to any team in any situation. That’s exemplified by the creator of the five dysfunction system, the CEO of DecisionTech, Kathryn, who frequently equated her system to her husband’s basketball teams and the soldiers she led in the armed forces. Not to mention Kathryn blatantly stating that the system can apply to many different situations, as to ease tension in one of her board meetings at DecisionTech.

As stated before there are five dysfunctions; the absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. Any combination of these dysfunctions can and will cripple a team’s chance at success. While teams can operate while displaying one or several of these dysfunctions, that operation is a shell of what the team could be if it is fully functional. The most pivotal of the dysfunctions is the absence of trust, as trust is the foundation of any working relationship. The absence of trust is how the road to the other dysfunctions is reached. That is why team success is built on trust; trust of those around you, trust in yourself, and trust in the system or regimen that you happen to be in. Without trust in your teammates there is no accountability, and without accountability there is no commitment to the team goal. Thus without trust team dynamics will avalanche into the other four dysfunctions leaving a team that cannot succeed. That is why good teammates trust one another and know that each member of the team is pivotal in their own faculty, and that each member has their assigned job. The ability to trust your teammates in completing their assignment is essential for success. This is especially true in the game of football, as it takes eleven men to score. That is on

Since both trust and commitment are essential in the success of a team one cannot exist without the other. Hence the breeding of the subsequent dysfunctions by way of an absence of trust. If the team is not committed they will obviously avoid accountability in completing their task. Without accountability the team will be forced into conflict, but if there is no commitment there will be no incentive to challenge teammates who don’t carry their weight. Thus if no-one completes their assigned task then inattention to the results will be present, and the team will ultimately fail as the task will never be completed. As can be seen, the foundation of any team is trust. Without trust completion of the team goal is nearly impossible. While limited success is possible, as seen in the 1993 Houston Oilers. Where there was no trust between the offense and defense, and a coaching staff that was literally at each other’s throats. That Oilers team was still able to reach 12 wins and a playoff berth. But the blatant dysfunctions of that team, ultimately stemming from Buddy Ryan’s complete lack of trust in the run and shoot offense ran by Kevin Gilbride. This led to their playoff elimination by the Kansas City Chiefs in the second round, who would later lose to the Bills in the AFC