The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Using the fable mode, listeners get a fly-on-the-wall perspective of a management team's interactions. Charles Stransky tidily characterizes each of the players at a high-tech company--the newly hired CEO and his highly dysfunctional team of managers, including the former CEO, the CFO, the COO, etc. Each character has his/her own agenda, and the listener can also hear his/her voice, thanks to the skillful Stransky, who delivers a solid narration, along with an inspiring strategy. Business leaders can glean strategy, examples, and determination through this fable. At the end, there are no-nonsense step-by-step directions to follow to create a functional team within any organization. D.L.M. (c) AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

March 25, 2002
In keeping with the parable style, Lencioni (The Five Temptations of a CEO) begins by telling the fable of a woman who, as CEO of a struggling Silicon Valley firm, took control of a dysfunctional executive committee and helped its members succeed as a team. Story time over, Lencioni offers explicit instructions for overcoming the human behavioral tendencies that he says corrupt teams (absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results). Succinct yet sympathetic, this guide will be a boon for those struggling with the inherent difficulties of leading a group. 100,000 first printing.