6. Engagement & Culture
Team dysfunction sequence (Lencioni)
The team repair sequence
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team is the work of Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group. Named here to identify the model. No affiliation or endorsement.
Use when
Diagnosing and rebuilding a leadership team that is not working
Inattention to results
Personal goals beat collective ones
Avoidance of accountability
Peers don't call peers; standards slide
Lack of commitment
Ambiguity; decisions relitigated in hallways
Fear of conflict
Artificial harmony; real debates happen offline
Absence of trust
No vulnerability; weaknesses hidden
Base ↑ read upward
“Read bottom-up: fix trust first, or accountability work makes it worse.”
How to use it
Read bottom-up: trust is the foundation and each layer enables the next. Diagnostic tells: meetings are boring (fear of conflict), decisions keep reopening (no commitment), the leader is the only one holding people to account (avoidance). Fix in sequence from the bottom; accountability work on a low-trust team makes things worse.
Card details
- Model type
- Ladder
- Origin status
- Established
- Content last reviewed
- 28 July 2026
Origin
EstablishedPatrick Lencioni, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, 2002.