Critical Analysis: Five Dysfunctions of a Team Report

This report provides a critical analysis of team dynamics and dysfunctions, focusing on the framework presented in "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team." The analysis examines the behaviors and roles of key individuals, such as Mickey and Nick, within a corporate setting. It highlights issues like lack of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. The report emphasizes the importance of leadership in addressing these dysfunctions, particularly through the implementation of strategies like double-loop learning and team-building exercises. The analysis evaluates the impact of these dysfunctions on team performance and organizational success, offering insights into how to foster a more cohesive and productive team environment. The report references relevant literature to support its findings and recommendations.

Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Student Name:
Institute Name:
1

Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................3
Critical Analysis of Mickey..................................................................................................3
Critical Analysis of Nick......................................................................................................4
Summary............................................................................................................................4
References.........................................................................................................................5
2

Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Introduction
Team dynamics are extremely important in an organization. A well-functioning and healthy
team environment go a long way to ensure that the company. A dysfunctional team that
does not work in cohesion and togetherness is more harmful than having no team dynamic
at all (McEwan, Ruissen, Eys, & Zumbo, 2017). It is important to give preference to the
growth of the team than just focussing on individual growth and eventually, contribute
towards the betterment of the company as well. The current situation of the team is not at
all good and the environment is full of petty politics, backstabbing and even pulling
individual down.
In this critical analysis, we will analyse such a team dysfunction and how the right leadership
is important to set these things right and bring the team on the path of the collective good
of the organization.
Critical Analysis of Mickey
Mickey is the head of marketing and sales for Decision-Tech Corporation. She was an
extremely headstrong individual who never minced her words in any situation. She was one
of the most sought after marketing executives of the valley and owing to this, had a little
temper and ego. While she was the best at her job, she was not the ideal teammate for a
long time (Forsyth, 2010). This was evident on various occasions where it can be observed
how she would lose her cool on the simplest of criticism and considered herself to be the
best. Owing to these habits, she often refurbished any suggestions given by her team
members and only cared for her thoughts. Mickey was not an ideal team player and needed
a lot of introspection and improvement in this context.
However, after the team retreat at Napa taken by Katheryn, there were a lot of
improvements and changes seen in Mickey as she became a little more considerate about
the team and was in a situation where she could take criticism constructively and make the
3

Five Dysfunctions of a Team
best out of it. This change has been most welcome and has helped the company a lot as
well.
Critical Analysis of Nick
Nick is the regular career oriented COO who is in a hurry to climb the corporate ladder and
expects to run the company someday as well. he had in his mind that after Jeff, he would be
the next best choice for CEO. However, since this did not happen, he turned a little hostile
towards Katheryn and even resistive at some point.
Nick is not the kind of person who invested in long time relationships with his colleagues.
However, this was not because he was a bad person, it was simply because his career was
most impacted by the poor situation of the company, and as a result of this spiral, he was
left with little or no work in the capacity of a COO. he did not criticise openly, and this was
sometimes his biggest weakness since he piled up things inside of him, which sometimes
could help the company become better (ZOLTAN, 2015).
His relationship with Katheryn was not the best, but since she could see potential in him, he
was particularly supported by her. Nick too took advantage of this and felt that he could
contribute better to the company by taking charge of Sales. This was evidence of his growth
as a person and as a professional, as he, instead of cribbing or walking out took
responsibility for the company.
Summary
To improve the situation, the new CEO Katheryn has done a great deal to ensure that the
team comes together. She implemented the double loop learning method (focussing on one
problem again and again till its resolved) (Blackman, Connelly, & Henderson, 2004) and took
various sessions for the team to bond together to achieve a common goal for the company.
It was evident that she may not have enough knowledge about the company and its work,
4

Five Dysfunctions of a Team
but she very well knew the people and could easily work her way to solve most, if not all,
issues of the company.
References
Blackman, D. A., Connelly, J., & Henderson, S. (2004). The Learning Organization Emerald
Article: Does double loop learning create reliable knowledge? The Learning
Organization, 11(1), 11-27.
McEwan, D., Ruissen, G. R., Eys, M. A., & Zumbo, B. D. (2017). The Effectiveness of
Teamwork Training on Teamwork Behaviors and Team Performance: A Systematic
Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Interventions. PLoS ONE, 12(1).
ZOLTAN, R. (2015). GROUP DYNAMICS AND TEAM FUNCTIONING IN ORGANIZATIONAL
CONTEXT. 4(2).
Forsyth, D. (2010). Group dynamics (5 ed.). (C. Learning, Ed.) Belmont: Wadsworth.
5