Patrick Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions of a Team provides a powerful framework for understanding why teams often fall short of their potential.
However, as I’ve scanned more and more teams using the Psychological Safety Scan—and debriefed them in 4 domains of team psychological safety such as:
Willingness to Help,
Inclusion & Diversity,
Open Conversation, and
Attitude to Risk & Failure
— I’ve come to see that these dysfunctions are deeply intertwined with levels of psychological safety, diversity, and inclusion.
The more teams I scan and debrief, the clearer it becomes: psychological safety isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s the solution to overcoming Lencioni’s dysfunctions and unlocking peak team performance.
Here is how I approach each of these dysfunctions:
1. Absence of Trust
When teams don’t trust each other, collaboration stalls. People hide mistakes or avoid asking for help, creating silos and inefficiencies.
What to Do as a Leader:
Share your own mistakes and how you learned from them.
Start meetings with semi-personal check-ins to build connection.
Normalize asking for help by saying things like, “I need your input on this.”
2. Fear of Conflict
Without healthy conflict, teams fall into groupthink. People avoid tough conversations, leaving critical issues unresolved.
What to Do as a Leader:
Set conflict norm, such as “Challenge ideas, not people.”
Actively ask for alternative perspectives: “Who sees this differently?”
Introduce roles like a “devil’s advocate” to ensure every decision is stress-tested.
3. Lack of Commitment
When team members don’t feel heard, they disengage. Decisions lack buy-in, and execution suffers.
What to Do as a Leader:
Close every meeting with clear next steps: “Here’s what we’ve decided and who’s responsible.”
Invite input early: “What’s your perspective on this?”
Reinforce the bigger picture by tying decisions to the team’s goals and mission.
Always deliver on your commitment!
4. Avoidance of Accountability
Teams that avoid accountability let underperformance slide, frustrating high performers and lowering morale.
What to Do as a Leader:
Make expectations crystal clear: “Here’s what success looks like.”
Normalize feedback in team meetings by asking, “What’s one thing we can improve as a team?”
Celebrate accountability: “I appreciate how you took ownership of that challenge.”
5. Inattention to Results
When individuals prioritize personal goals over team outcomes, progress stalls, and collaboration breaks down.
What to Do as a Leader:
Set shared goals with clear metrics for success.
Celebrate team wins to reinforce collective success.
Reflect openly on missed goals with a no-blame approach: “What can we learn from this?”
How the Four Domains of Psychological Safety Help
1. Absence of Trust → Willingness to Help
Lencioni tells us that trust is the foundation of any successful team. Without it, people won’t admit mistakes, ask for help, or share honestly. This is where Willingness to Help comes into play.
When leaders normalize vulnerability—by admitting when they need help or when they’ve made a mistake—they create a culture where others feel safe doing the same. Encouraging mutual support builds the trust teams need to truly collaborate.
Try This: In your next team meeting, share a challenge you’re working through and ask for input. Watch how it opens the door for others to do the same.
2. Fear of Conflict → Open Conversation
Avoiding conflict is one of the biggest barriers to team performance. Teams that fear conflict stick to surface-level conversations, leaving tough issues unresolved. Open Conversation directly addresses this by fostering candid dialogue and encouraging constructive debate.
Leaders who invite dissenting opinions and reward honest feedback show their teams that conflict isn’t something to fear—it’s a path to better decisions.
Try This: At your next brainstorming session, ask, “What’s a risk we’re not seeing?” or “Does anyone have a different perspective?” Make it clear that disagreement is welcome.
3. Lack of Commitment → Inclusion & Diversity
Teams that don’t feel included in decisions won’t commit to them. It’s that simple.
Inclusion & Diversity ensures all voices are heard and valued, which creates buy-in.
When people feel their input has shaped a decision, they’re far more likely to commit to it—even if it wasn’t their first choice.
Leaders who actively draw out diverse perspectives—especially from quieter voices—build engagement and alignment around shared goals.
Try This: Before finalizing a decision, ask each team member, “What’s one thing we might be missing?” or “What’s your perspective on this?” Then acknowledge their input, even if it doesn’t change the outcome.
4. Avoidance of Accountability → Willingness to Help + Open Conversation
When teams avoid accountability, standards slip, and resentment builds. This dysfunction is often tied to a lack of trust and fear of judgment.
Psychological safety fosters accountability in two ways: through Willingness to Help, where accountability is framed as a supportive act, and Open Conversation, where feedback becomes a norm.
Leaders can create a culture where accountability isn’t about blame—it’s about helping each other grow and succeed.
Try This: Introduce a simple feedback ritual, like ending weekly meetings with, “What’s one thing we did well this week? What’s one thing we can improve?”
5. Inattention to Results → Attitude to Risk & Failure
When team members focus on personal goals instead of collective results, the team suffers. Often, this stems from a fear of failure—people play it safe to avoid blame.
Attitude to Risk & Failure shifts this mindset by making experimentation and learning part of the team’s DNA.
Leaders who celebrate effort, recognize team wins, and treat failures as learning opportunities create alignment around shared goals and outcomes.
Try This: At the end of a project, hold a “wins and lessons” session. Celebrate successes and reflect on what didn’t work, focusing on what the team learned rather than what went wrong.
Why It Matters
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team aren’t just theoretical—they have real, tangible impacts on performance.
Teams without trust fall into silos.
Fear of conflict stifles innovation.
A lack of accountability lets standards slip.
Over time, these dysfunctions lead to
disengaged team members,
missed goals,
culture that limits potential.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Working on team psychological safety in a structured way, using a proven methodology, addresses both team atmosphere and inclusion, as well as performance outcomes.
When psychological safety becomes the foundation of your team’s culture, you’ll see the results:
stronger collaboration,
better decisions,
higher engagement.
It’s not just about fixing dysfunctions—it’s about unlocking your team’s full potential.
The path to transformation starts here.
Contact me to build teams that thrive together.
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