The " The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni is written as a "leadership fable" a story of a technology company that is struggling in the marketplace to find customers. The new CEO recognises that the company has innovative products and great talent, however the executives are not working together as a team, negating the advantages of the companies innovative products and talented people. The team is struggling with their situation and are unable to come to agreement on an appropriate solution to their problems. The team dynamics erode into naming, blaming and shaming, no one is accepting responsibility, deadlines are being missed and moral is on the decline. The executive team is unable to make important decisions and as a result the company is losing the battle for market share.

"If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time."

To get the people in a team aligned and rowing in the same direction requires leaders to address the following five dysfunctions of a team. Look for the summaries of the five areas, starting next week.