Written by: Dimitris Papadimitriou
Original LinkedIn Post

Build Effective Teams as First-Time Managers: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

As a first-time manager or startup founder, building a strong and effective team is crucial for achieving long-term success. However, it can be a challenging task to distinguish and organize your team properly, especially if you lack prior experience.

To help you overcome this challenge, we recommend reading Patrick Lencioni's book "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team." In this book, Lencioni identifies the five key dysfunctions that can hinder a team's performance.

In this article we break down these five dysfunctions of a team, along with strategies to address them as a First-Time Manager or an experienced one, since these types of issues arise in all team functions.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Transform your team from Dysfunctional to Dynamic

1. Absence of Trust
   The first dysfunction Lencioni identifies among the five dysfunctions of a team is a lack of trust among team members. This is the fundamental dysfunction that leads to other dysfunctions. It means team members are not comfortable being vulnerable with one another or admitting their weaknesses, leading to a lack of openness and honesty in communication.
   
   Build Trust
   
   To reverse this situation you must commit to building trust. As a first-time manager you need to lead by example and be the first to be vulnerable, be authentic and admit mistakes, which can help build a culture of trust.
   
   Additionally, team-building exercises or workshops can be helpful to create opportunities for team members to connect and build trust. These lead to team members connecting with each other, feeling safe to talk and share their ideas and concerns.
2. Fear of Conflict
   The second dysfunction is the fear of healthy disagreements. This leads to a lack of constructive criticism, which can ultimately hurt team performance. Conflict or disagreement can be uncomfortable, but it's essential for effective team decision-making.
   
   Embrace Conflict
   
   Encouraging healthy conflict means creating a culture where team members feel comfortable expressing their opinions and challenging each other's ideas, without resorting to personal attacks. Establishing rules of engagement for discussions can be helpful to ensure that disagreements remain respectful and productive.
3. Lack of Commitment
   The next out of the five dysfunctions of a team is the lack of commitment. Once a decision is made, it is important that everyone agrees and commits to the outcome.When team members don't buy-in to decisions or goals, it leads to a lack of focus and accountability.
   
   Engage to Commit
   
   To overcome this dysfunction, you need to ensure that everyone is clear on what decisions have been made and the rationale behind them. This means communicating the decision clearly, ensuring everyone understands their role, and providing support and resources to help team members achieve their goals.
   
   Allowing team members to participate in the decision-making process can also increase commitment, as they will feel like their input was heard and considered.
4. Avoidance of Accountability
   The fourth dysfunction is the lack of accountability. This occurs when team members don't hold each other accountable for their actions or commitments and leads to a lack of responsibility and ownership, and ultimately hurts team performance.
   
   Foster a Culture of Accountability
   
   To overcome this as a first-time manager, you need to establish clear expectations for everyone's roles and responsibilities. This means setting clear expectations, measuring progress, and providing feedback and recognition when goals are achieved.
   
   Holding regular check-ins and progress reviews can also be helpful to ensure everyone is on track and to address any issues that arise.
5. Inattention to results
   Finally, the fifth dysfunction is the lack of focus on results. This dysfunction occurs when team members prioritize individual goals over team goals, which leads to a lack of alignment and focus.
   
   Be Results Oriented
   
   By keeping the team focused on the desired outcome, celebrating successes, and learning from failures, you can build a culture of continuous improvement and drive long-term success. Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and regularly tracking progress can also help keep everyone focused on achieving results.

Rise Above the Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Unlock Your Leadership Potential

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team provides a powerful framework for creating strong and effective teams. By focusing on building trust, adopting healthy disagreements, promoting engagement, encouraging accountability, and focusing on results, you can build a team capable of excelling.

As a first-time manager, it's important to continue learning and growing. Join our first-time manager community and check out our Leadership training programs by Business Pathways to continue your growth and development.

Let's build a community of thriving and successful first-time managers together!