From the Bookshelf This is a fortnightly review of bestsellers for business executives Removing the obstacles to effective teamwork by Susanna Tai Managers should be able to turn groups of disparate individuals into productive teams In today's business world, the ability to put together and manage effective teams is an indispensable requirement for success. In doing this, it is vital to recognise the distinction between a group of individuals and a true team, the members of which are interdependent and united in helping each other to accomplish organisational objectives. In Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni highlights how a well-run team can achieve far more than the sum of its parts. He explains that, if managers want to get results in the workplace, they should concentrate their efforts on facilitating the development of teams. However, in recommending this, he also observes that: "Teamwork remains the one sustainable competitive advantage that has always been largely untapped" (p.3). The book carefully examines questions that all teams must ask themselves about their own purpose, commitment and level of performance. It then addresses the most common obstacles and gives detailed methods for dealing with each type of dysfunction. This is done in a clear and succinct format which goes straight to the point and can therefore be either studied or easily adapted as the basis for a practical training programme. Problem areas In his earlier best-selling work, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni outlined the major constraints preventing many organisations from performing at their highest level. He identified lack of trust, fear of conflict, inability to commit, absence of accountability and inattention to results as the primary problem areas. In this latest "field guide", the author offers specific advice, assessment tools and real-life examples to help in overcoming each of these dysfunctions. The solutions are presented in a step-by-step sequence which moves from building trust to the ultimate goal of having each person focused on results. When this happens, there will be genuine teamwork, which the author defines as "the state achieved by a group of people working together who trust one another, engage in healthy conflict, commit to decisions, hold one another accountable, and focus on collective results" (p.147). Lencioni suggests that the key to mastering conflict is to understand everyone's viewpoint and their varying comfort levels. As he points out: "On one extreme are the people who are comfortable screaming and shouting and arguing passionately; on the other are those who aren't comfortable airing the mildest of dissenting opinions out of fear of offending" (p.40). The important thing is to understand where people fall within this range, and the reasons why, so that a "conflict culture" can be established, which everyone understands and can adjust to. Ongoing process There is never a definite time scale for building a team, since it is "more of an ongoing process, like a marriage"(p.83). Many factors affect the rate of progress, but substantial advances should always be made in the first two or three months. This assumes that team members dedicate themselves to the process and spend sufficient time together in meetings and various working sessions. That said, if the goals are clear and the conditions are right, a team can actually make dramatic progress in just a few days. The book offers a range of methods and numerous examples for overcoming the common hurdles to building a cohesive and effective team. It therefore provides a useful model, a fund of ideas and essential guidelines for any team leader to follow. Content highlights: Trust is the foundation of good teamwork and is based on unfiltered, passionate debate about issues Commitment needs clarity and buy-in, and team members should be accountable to each other The true measure of a great team is that it achieves its objectives About the authors Patrick Lencioni is founder and president of The Table Group, Inc, a US-based management consulting firm focused on organisational health. Since 1997, he has been building his expertise in the area of executive team development. He has written several best-selling business books, including The Five Temptations of a CEO (1998), The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive (2000) and Death by Meeting (2004). Prior to founding his firm, Lencioni worked for Sybase, Oracle and Bain & Company. He also served on the National Board of Directors for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America from 2000 to 2003. Taken from Career Times 28 April 2006 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]