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Lencioni Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Short answer
Lencioni Five Dysfunctions of a Team — the complete framework explained: origins, dimensions, evidence, and limits. AssessWiki covers the theory from concept to practical application.
Lencioni's five dysfunctions
Patrick Lencioni's model presents team dysfunction as a pyramid — each dysfunction builds on the one below. You cannot fix the top without addressing the bottom:
- Absence of trust (bottom) — unwillingness to be vulnerable. Prevents honest conversation.
- Fear of conflict — artificial harmony. Issues go underground and fester.
- Lack of commitment — ambiguity about decisions. People nod but do not commit.
- Avoidance of accountability — reluctance to hold peers accountable. Standards slip.
- Inattention to results (top) — focus on individual status over team outcomes.
How it is used
The model is widely used in leadership development and team coaching. It is a diagnostic framework, not an academic theory — its value is in sparking honest team conversations, not in psychometric precision. The Team Health Check assessment operationalises it into scorable items.
Is it accurate?
The framework behind this concept is supported by published, peer-reviewed research and replicated across contexts. AssessWiki summarises the evidence honestly, including where it is contested or incomplete.
What it cannot tell you
A definition or framework is a map, not the territory — it cannot capture the full complexity of any individual or predict real-world outcomes on its own.
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