The model outlined in the book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team was originally intended for a corporate audience but has found a home in groups ranging from professional sports teams, to churches to local schools. Here is a quick overview of the model with some special applications for churches.
Dysfunction #1: Absence of Trust
This occurs when team members are reluctant to be vulnerable with one another and are unwilling to admit their mistakes, weaknesses or needs for help. Without a certain comfort level among team members, a foundation of trust is impossible.

For church leaders this is particularly important because the mission is so great. Oftentimes the person responsible for running the church feels that they need to “have all the answers” but in actuality, they need to be open and honest enough to allow good debate among the team to make the best decisions for the parish. The leader of the church must go first demonstrating trust.

Tip for Overcoming Dysfunction #1 - Start the Trust Building Process.

Once a leader has introduced the model to their team, the personal histories exercise is a low risk exercise to establish vulnerability-based trust. At a staff meeting or off-site, go around the room and have every member of the team explain 1) were they grew up, 2) how many kids were in their family, and 3) what was the most difficult or important challenge of their childhood (but not their inner childhood; just the most important challenge of being a kid!). Simply by describing these relatively innocuous attributes or experiences, team members begin to get comfortable being open with one another and learn to relate to one another on a more personal level.

Dysfunction #2: Fear of Conflict
Teams that are lacking on trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered, passionate debate about key issues, causing situations where team conflict can easily turn into veiled discussions and back channel comments. In a work setting where team members do not openly air their opinions, inferior decisions are the result.

This dysfunction is often an issue in churches because of limited resources and the heavy reliance on volunteers. Churches also have such a grand mission - “We’re doing the Lord’s work” - that team members do not feel comfortable and justified confronting one another on their ideas or follow-through. Unfortunately, these same group members often discuss unsaid issues in the parking lot (ie gossip) rather than providing someone honest timely feedback. Again, the leader must demonstrate the ability to confront issues first so staff members are able to follow-suit.

Tip for Overcoming Dysfunction #2 - Mine for Conflict
It is critical to select an individual to mine for conflict during team meetings. This is a facilitation skill that requires an individual to extract buried disagreements within a team and bring them to the surface. The "miner" must remain objective during meetings and be committed to the conflict until it is resolved.

Dysfunction #3: Lack of Commitment
Without conflict, it is difficult for team members to commit to decisions, creating an environment where ambiguity prevails. Lack of direction and commitment can make employees, particularly star employees, disgruntled. Churches need to have high standards for their volunteers and staff, insisting on open debate and high levels of commitment. The best volunteers and employees thrive and survive in a committed atmosphere.

Tips for Overcoming Dysfunction #3 - Clarify Commitments
At the end of a meeting the team must explicitly describe and settle on the agreements and decisions that have been made so that there is no room for ambiguity in what they subsequently do and say.

Cascading Communication
At the end of every meeting, team members need to subsequently go to their respective departments and report on the agreed-upon decisions and outcomes. Cascading communication should take place in a timely manner following a meeting (1-2 days) and occur face-to-face or live on the phone to facilitate questions and answers.

Dysfunction #4: Avoidance of Accountability
When teams don’t commit to a clear plan of action, even the most focused and driven individuals hesitate to call their peers on actions and behaviors that may seem counterproductive to the overall good of the team.

As difficult as it might be, team members and church leaders must not be afraid to offer the “kind truth” about on another’s unproductive actions and behaviors.

Tips for Overcoming Dysfunction #4 - Encourage Peer to Peer Accountability
At an offsite, set aside 2-3 hours for the Team Effectiveness Exercise. The Team Effective Exercise is a tool that gives team members a forum for providing one another with focused, direct and actionable feedback. At a staff meeting or off-site, team members identify the answers to two simple questions about every member of the team, excluding themselves: 1) what is the single most important behavioral characteristic or quality demonstrated by this person that contributes to the strength of our team? and 2) what is the single most important behavioral characteristic or quality demonstrated by this person that can sometimes derail the team? Once everyone has finished jotting down their answers, the facilitator starts by putting the leader of the team up first.

Dysfunction #5: Inattention to Results
Team members naturally tend to put their own needs (ego, career development, recognition, etc.) ahead of the collective goals of the team when individuals aren’t held accountable. If a team has lost sight of the need for achievement, the church ultimately suffers. Unfortunately, churches are not excluded from this type of behavior and egos can certainly get in the way of church goals and progress. By making church goals clear and measurable, this dysfunction can be avoided.

Tip for Overcoming Dysfunction #5 - Publicly Declare your Scorecard
Collectively, the team must clarify exactly what they need to achieve, who needs to deliver what, and how everyone must behave in order to succeed. Teams that are more willing to commit publicly to specific results are more likely to work with a passionate desire to achieve those results.

About Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni’s five best-selling business books have sold over one million copies. After four years in print, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team continues to be a fixture on the Wall Street Journal and New York Times best-seller lists. The Dysfunctions model for teamwork has been embraced by a great variety of organizations, ranging from the NFL to the Blue Man Group to the 82nd Airborne to local schools and churches.

Lencioni consults to organizations like Southwest Airlines and Cox Communications and speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year, and Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, refers to Lencioni as “Fast defining the next generation of leadership thinkers.”

The Table Group is Lencioni’s consulting firm which offers products and services around team development and organizational health. www.tablegroup.com