The Five Dysfunctions series
To go along with this book Patrick Lencioni has produced several resources to supplement the main text, all of which are listed below.
The book itself
Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership fable. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Participant workbook to assist individuals and groups
Lencioni, P. (2007). The five dysfunctions of a team: facilitator's guide : the official guide to conducting the five dysfunctions workshop. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Companion piece for practical guidance in overcoming team dysfunctions
Lencioni, P. (2005). Overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team: a field guide for leaders, managers, and facilitators. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Audio book
Lencioni, P. (2006). The five dysfunctions of a team: a leadership fable (Audio book). Available from: http://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Patrick-Lencioni/dp/0739332570/ref=tmm_abk_title_popover?ie=UTF8&qid=1311379909&sr=1-2
Illustrated manga version
Lencioni, P, & Okabayashi, K. (2008). The five dysfunctions of a team: an illustrated leadership fable. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Testimonials from Lencioni’s site, www.tablegroup.com/
Lencioni has worked with corporations and organizations looking to improve their functionality. Many of them you may have heard of and may be quite familiar with them. Included in this list are Barnes & Noble, Freedom from Hunger, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, University Health Systems, and Down Under Horsemanship.
Barnes & Noble
“By reinforcing this approach in our management meetings, we have seen a dramatic improvement in our leadership, teamwork and performance."
– Donna Lemaster
Director of Leadership Development
Freedom from Hunger
"Working with the consultant and Pat's material gave us a language to talk about our issues and gave us permission to keep moving forward."
– Chris Dunford
President and CEO
Freedom from Hunger
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
"Many people have been through teambuilding exercises in the past that haven’t really made much of a difference. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team model is focused on accountability and results, and I think that people see the benefits quickly."
– Harry Traylor
Sales Director
Sheraton Binghamton
Downunder Horsemanship
"This newfound clarity empowers my employees to make decisions and trust that they make smart and healthy choices that positively impact the company."
– Clinton Anderson
Owner & President
Reviews of the book
Of course positive testimonials will be found on Lencioni’s own website, yet praise for Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions is almost unanimously positive in reviews available through databases or by web search.
First, the weaknesses
Kelly O’Donnell in the Journal of Psychology and Theology offered great praise for Lencioni’s work, but had the following three criticisms:
- The ideas of leadership and team work that Lencioni discusses is based on western, or possibly even American culture and may not transfer well to other cultures, especially those with differing conceptions of power of negotiation between leaders and subordinates.
- The book fails to adequately reflect the amount of personality styles we have within our own culture that would not find any greater success with Lencioni’s practices as compared to others. This is especially evident within our own multicultural society, as team members may even lack the basic language skills to participate within a group.
- Lencioni’s philosophy of debating openly on ideological terms, and not personal, is not easy, and is often necessary (p73). The connection of people requires that interactions blend their ideologies and personal traits, and when confronting one you inherently confront the other.
O’Donnell, K. (2011) On leadership and teamwork: A narrative and a model (Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). Journal of Psychology & Theology, 39(1), 73-74. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
Now, the positives
“I would highly recommend adding The Five Dysfunctions of a Team to any personal or departmental library. It's like a ‘how to’ book disguised as a novel…(Lencioni) uses practical approaches to promote team thinking…a reader-friendly writing style to expose the dysfunctional behavior that plagues most work environments.”
-- Bendyna, M. (2005). ((Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). American Journal of Electroneurodiagnostic Technology, 45(2), 155-156.
“Concise and easy to follow this book is recommended for academic and public libraries with management collections and for anyone who is a member of a team that needs improvement.”
-- Wise, B. (2002). (Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). Library Journal, 127(7), 102.
“While many management books are ‘dry’ and theory driven, Lencioni presents this story in an interesting and engaging way that succeeds in communicating his ideas…can be applied anywhere teamwork is involved, whether it is a large international corporation, small private company, a small department within a larger organization, or a work group.”
-- Perrecone, M. R. (2008). (Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). Nephrology Nursing Journal, 35(1), 76.
“This book is a breath of fresh air. It is easy to read, easy to grasp, and easy to remember. The narrative style…is enjoyable… the second half, dealing with a … is very practical and relevant”
-- O’Donnell, K. (2011) On leadership and teamwork: A narrative and a model (Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). Journal of Psychology & Theology, 39(1), 73-74.
An article in the June 2008 edition of Black Enterprise briefly describes Daryl Wilkerson’s (vice president of Support Services at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center) application of the book by helping him realize that managers are skill-limited, and that communication is key. To Wilkerson these are foundations of the book that have become essentials to his staff.
-- Alleyne, S. (2008). Getting to a more productive team. Black Enterprise, 38(11), 72.
“Lencioni describes how the leadership team failed to function as a unit and how the new boss worked to reestablish essential conduct, pointing out that while teamwork can elude the most dedicated individuals, it can be restored by an insightful leader.”
-- Farris, D. (2006). (Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). Library Journal, 131(17), 96.
At the time of this writing the book has a 4.4/5 star rating on Amazon.com, and was quoted in the Journal for Quality and Participation as having this review: “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is an entertaining, quick read filled with useful information that will prove easy to digest and implement.”
-- Association for Quality and Participation (2006). Resources for Success (Review of the book The five dysfunctions of a team: A leadership fable). Journal for Quality & Participation, 29(3), 42-43.
