Book Club: Chapters 8-10
The most recent chapters of our book club have been focused on team dynamics and fostering a creative work environment. Read more about our discussions and key takeaways below!
CHAPTER 8: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Discussion led by: Andrew
Why 5 Dysfunctions of a Team?
Patrick Lencioni's "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is a must read for anyone who wants to build and lead a strong and cohesive team. Lencioni's framework for addressing the five common dysfunctions that can derail a team's effectiveness was both compelling and actionable. By identifying which dysfunctions were affecting our team and taking steps to address them, we hope to improve trust, engage in healthy conflict, establish commitment, foster accountability, and achieve better results.
One of the things we loved about this book was how it used a relatable and engaging story to demonstrate the framework. Using an assessment tool that came with the book, we identified which dysfunctions were not a problem, and which ones needed to be addressed. We found that trust and commitment were strong in our team, but we needed to work on healthy conflict and accountability.
Key Takeaways:
Trust is the Foundation of a Strong Team
The first dysfunction that Lencioni identifies is the absence of trust. Without trust, team members are unlikely to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas, leading to a lack of collaboration and a failure to fully tap into the team's collective intelligence. Trust can be built through vulnerability and transparency, as well as by demonstrating reliability and integrity.Conflict is Necessary for Productive Collaboration
The second dysfunction is a fear of conflict. Many teams shy away from disagreements, fearing that it will harm team dynamics. However, conflict is necessary for productive collaboration. By engaging in healthy debate and airing differing opinions, teams can arrive at better decisions and build stronger relationships.Commitment is Key to Success
The third dysfunction is a lack of commitment. Without a shared commitment to a goal or project, team members may lack motivation and fail to put in the necessary effort to achieve success. Lencioni stresses the importance of establishing clear goals and expectations and ensuring that everyone is committed to achieving them.Accountability Drives Results
The fourth dysfunction is an avoidance of accountability. Teams that do not hold each other accountable for their actions and commitments are unlikely to achieve their goals. Lencioni argues that accountability should be built into the team's culture, with clear expectations and consequences for failing to meet them.Results are the Ultimate Goal
The fifth dysfunction is inattention to results. While it may seem counterintuitive, teams that focus solely on the process rather than the outcome are unlikely to achieve their goals. Lencioni emphasizes the importance of setting measurable goals and tracking progress towards them, as well as celebrating successes along the way.
As Lencioni himself notes, "Teamwork is not a virtue in and of itself. Unless it is focused on a clear goal, it is nothing more than a waste of time and energy." By focusing on the five dysfunctions and building a strong and cohesive team, co-elevate will achieve greater success and thrive in today's competitive marketplace.
Chapter 9: The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni
Discussion led by: Zak
Building off of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, our team decided to stick with the theme and read Lencioni’s The Ideal Team Player. The book is structured in two parts: a business fable and the model for the ideal team player.
The fable describes how the main character, Jeff Shanley, switches careers to manage his uncle’s construction business. The company has employees with certain traits – some that help them work effectively, and others that make people quit. He works with his executive team to understand and ultimately define what makes an “ideal team player.”
Key Takeaways:
The three virtues of an ideal team player:
Humble – lacking excessive ego, emphasizing team over self.
Hungry – looking for more to do/learn, self-motivated, thinking about what’s next.
Smart – having common sense about people, perceptive about groups and individuals, listening.
The book then dives into what happens when one or more virtues are lacking. Advice was given and discussed for applying the virtues in four common workplace situations:
Hiring
Assessing current employees
Developing employees who are lacking in one or more virtues
Embedding the model into an organization’s culture
The concepts from the book are applicable both to employees and to managers/leaders (i.e., part of a team, or leading a team). If a leader isn’t humble, hungry, and smart, it’s not very likely the people working with them will aspire to those traits. Our discussions included identifying our individual strengths and weaknesses in these virtues and how we can work on fostering an environment to help elevate our leaders.
Chapter 10: Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull
Discussion led by: Rachel
After talking about ideal team player and team dynamics, for our next book we decided to dive into creativity! Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull provides a fascinating glimpse into the inner workings of Pixar Animation Studios and the principles that have contributed to it’s success.
Our discussions were focused around ways to foster a creative and innovative culture within co-elevate.
Key Takeaways:
Embrace Failure: Catmull emphasizes the importance of an environment where failure is accepted as a part of the natural creative process. Although there are some aspects in engineering that this does not apply, the idea of creating a safe place to fail and learn absolutely applies to our internal processes.
Cultivate a Safe Environment: A safe environment is crucial for employees to get involved in the process and feel like they can contribute their ideas and opinions without fear of judgement.
Value People over Ideas: One of the highlighted quotes from the book “If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.”
Maintain a Feedback Loop: Regular feedback is crucial for improvement and innovation. We discussed Pixar’s use of the “Brain Trust” and brainstormed ways that we could incorporate that idea into our systems and process.
Sustain Creativity: The book emphasizes how creativity is an ongoing endeavor that takes commitment and buy-in from all parties.
Overall, Creativity Inc. provided valuable insight into the principals and practices that have made Pixar one of the most successful and innovative companies in the world. It helped inspire some team members to add some creativity to their workspace through simple acts like decorating, while also reenergizing our existing agile project delivery systems with new strategies for enhanced effectiveness.