By:
Perez
McDermott
Nicholas
Powell
Neal
McRae
THE TROUBLE WITH TEAMWORK
BY: PATRICK M. LENCIONI
Vulnerability-Based Trust
 Must establish trust
 (1) Comfortably and Quickly admit mistakes,
weaknesses, failures, and needs
 (2) Recognize strengths of others
 Seems simple
 But with accomplished, proud, talented staff
members – it’s a challenge
 Without, team will not/should not engage in
unfiltered productive conflict
 Let guard down
 Risk loss of positional power
 Admit frailties
 Making it easier for others to follow suit
 “No one was allowed to be smarter than him
because he is CEO”
 Leader MUST go first
 Unnatural for most leaders
 Taught Project strength and confidence
 Evidence:
 “I screwed up”
 “I was wrong”
 “I need help”
To Be or NOT To Be a Team
 Can we keep our egos in check?
 Are we capable of admitting mistakes,
weaknesses, insufficient knowledge?
 Can we speak up openly when we disagree?
 Will we confront behavioral problems
directly?
 Can we put the success of team or
organization over our own?
 No? Then don’t declare yourselves a Team
 Willingness is the key
Healthy Conflict
• Fear of Conflict
• See Conflict as a waste of time
• Unresolved issues
 Problems
 Productive conflict
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JhuOicP
FZY
Unwavering Commitment
 Group leaders must commit to decisions
 Not always perfect information available
 No natural consensus within group
 Ability to commit is one of the most critical
behaviors of a team
 Can’t commit if they do not engage in productive
unguarded conflict
 Without conflict the leader can’t feel confident
with the full benefit of the collective wisdom of
the group
Team Cohesiveness
 Teams that fail to disagree (argue) are teams
that find themselves revisiting the same
issues
 Teams that seem dysfunctional can figure out
and stick with a difficult decision
 Commitment and conflict are not possible without
trust
 Also members concerned with protecting
themselves from their peers will not be able to
disagree or commit
The Trouble With Teamwork
 Do Executives really believe in Teamwork?
 Actually only a small priority of companies do.
 1 in 3 Fortune 500 declare it as a core value.
What is Teamwork

Strategic Choice

“What choice do I have?

Imagine an Executive saying,
“teamwork really isn’t important here”

Preaching rather then Living


Empty Slogan
Confusing employees how to act in the best interest of
the company
Collective Orientation to
Results
 Team Goal
 Measuring Success
 Tangible Outcomes
 Problem
 Individual or Departmental focused
 Leaders
 Zero Tolerance
 Hard with highly motivated, strong willed
individuals
 Rewards of teamwork with highly motivated
independently successful leaders is both rare and
costly
Dysfunctions-----Role of Leader
Inattention to Results---Focus outcomes
Avoidance of Accountability---Confront Diff.
Iss.
Lack of Commitment---Force clarity
Fear of Conflict--- Demand debate
Absence of Trust---Be Human