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Recommended Resource – The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
by Patrick M. Lencioni

About the Reference

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick M. Lencioni examines five obstacles to effective teamwork. Focused on the executive team, Mr. Lencioni illustrates the harmful effects diminished teamwork has on an organization’s effectiveness. He then prescribes actions that can be taken to overcome these obstacles thereby increasing overall organizational performance.

Benefits of Using this Reference

StrategyDriven contributors believe that an organization can only perform effectively if there exists a cohesive, aligned, action-oriented executive team guiding it. We like The Five Dysfunctions of a Team because it highlights the common barriers to effective teamwork and an actionable process for overcoming these barriers. While the process presented focuses on an organization’s executive team, we believe the same principles can be used to improve teamwork at all levels of the organization. Additionally, Mr. Lencioni’s recommended actions support what StrategyDriven contributors believe is key to sustained, superior success; shared vision, focus, and commitment.

As a business novel, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team presents its principles for improved teamwork through a believable, vividly illustrated, and easily related to story of an organization’s struggle to improve performance. Many of the best practice recommendations found on the StrategyDriven website compliment the actions prescribed in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team; making this book a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Resource Management Best Practice 1 – Attract the Best with Accountability

StrategyDriven Resource Management ArticleIn today’s competitive environment, it is no longer good enough to offer employees a good place to work. Rather, it is imperative a company creates a work environment where the best want to work. Only when such an environment exists will a company attract and retain the most knowledgeable, skilled, and accomplished employees; who in-turn will effectively execute its activities and make it a viable competitor in an increasingly aggressive marketplace.


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Additional Resources

StrategyDriven contributors recommend the following resource that elaborate or compliment the Attract the Best with Accountability best practice:

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t
by Jim Collins


About the Author

Nathan Ives, StrategyDriven Principal is a StrategyDriven Principal and Host of the StrategyDriven Podcast. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

Recommended Resource – Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors
by Patrick M. Lencioni

About the Reference

Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors by Patrick M. Lencioni examines the organizational barriers that prevent the free flow of information and resources thereby degrading overall corporate performance. Focused on the relationships and inner workings of the executive team, Mr. Lencioni provides a process for breaking down these barriers and enhancing organizational focus on mission objectives.

Benefits of Using this Reference

StrategyDriven contributors like Silos, Politics and Turf Wars because it provides insights to the common causes of organizational barriers and an actionable process for overcoming them. While the process presented focuses on realizing annual and near-term objectives, we believe it can be naturally extended to more strategic goals. Additionally, Mr. Lencioni’s process supports what StrategyDriven contributors believe is key to sustained, superior success; vision, focus, and commitment.

As a business novel, Silos, Politics and Turf Wars presents its principles of for improved effectiveness through a series of believable, vividly illustrated, and easily related to stories of four organizations evolving toward improved performance. Additionally, many of the best practice recommendations found on the StrategyDriven website relate to Silos, Politics and Turf Wars; making it a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Recommended Resource – The Effective Executive

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
by Peter F. Drucker

About the Reference

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter F. Drucker focuses on self-management rather than on the management of others. The book addresses how an individual can become more effective in key activities such as time management, activity prioritization, and decision-making to the furtherance of their organization’s goals.

Benefits of Using this Reference

As discussed previously, StrategyDriven Contributors believe that because an organization’s actions are defined by its people and not the buildings, machines, and tools they use, organizations themselves fundamentally behave like people. Subsequently, as individuals become more effective, such that their decisions and activities are increasingly focused on mission achievement, the organization itself is more likely to achieve greater levels of success. Therefore, when the principles of The Effective Executive are built into processes and procedures, additional measurable improvements in organizational effectiveness can be achieved.

The Effective Executive clearly and concisely conveys several powerful concepts. Many of the best practice recommendations found on the StrategyDriven website relate to The Effective Executive; making it a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Strategic Analysis Best Practice 1 – Integrity Without Excuses

StrategyDriven Strategic Analysis Article | Strategic Analysis Best Practice 1 - Integrity Without ExcusesFor any strategic analysis to be effective, it must be done with an open, honest assessment of the facts. Organizations acting with integrity without excuses seek to identify and eliminate instances where fact-based assessment conclusions are diluted by unrelated factors or opinion-based influences. This mitigation often seeks to justify action perceived as desirable when the fact-based evidence would suggest another course. Justification is frequently based on business factors that are not specifically value related or biases lacking a relevant performance basis.


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Additional Information

Additional information regarding strategic analysis can be found in the StrategyDriven whitepaper series Strategic Planning.


About the Author

Karen K. Juliano is StrategyDriven‘s Editor-in-Chief and Vice President of Communications and Marketing. Prior to joining the StrategyDriven team, she helped produce weekly programming for a Public Access Television station and served as a production assistant in the public affairs office at United States Naval Base, Philadelphia. To read Karen’s complete biography, click here.