1. Why leadership matters in projects
Projects are structurally harder than line management:
- teams are temporary
- people often have not worked together before
- members come from different functional backgrounds
- time pressure is high
- authority is often indirect (matrix organization)
A solid plan alone is not sufficient.
People are the decisive factor.
A strong team can compensate for weak plans.
A weak team will fail even with a perfect plan.
Leadership in projects therefore focuses less on “telling people what to do” and more on creating the conditions under which teams can perform.
2. The Five Dysfunctions model – overview
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team describe typical failure patterns in teams.
They are arranged in a hierarchy:
- Absence of trust
- Fear of conflict
- Lack of commitment
- Avoidance of accountability
- Inattention to results
Important:
You must work from the bottom up.
Problems at higher levels are often symptoms of unresolved lower-level dysfunctions.
The model is diagnostic and practical.
It helps leaders ask where a team problem really starts.
3. Dysfunction 1: Absence of trust – the foundation of team performance
What trust means here
Trust in this model does not mean:
- liking each other
- being predictable
- being polite
Trust means vulnerability-based trust:
- being able to admit mistakes
- asking for help without fear
- openly acknowledging weaknesses
Typical situation
A new project team is formed.
On day one, tasks are assigned.
You receive a task you have never done before.
In most teams:
- people stay silent
- they do not raise their hand
- they try to figure it out alone
- problems surface late
Why?
Because people are afraid of looking incompetent.
What trust looks like in a healthy team
- “I’ve never done this before. Can someone help me?”
- “This is more complex than expected. I won’t make Friday without support.”
- “I’m not the best fit for this task. Should we rearrange?”
Why trust cannot be forced
A leader cannot say:
- “Trust each other.”
- “Be open.”
- “Speak honestly.”
That does not work.
Trust emerges indirectly, over time, through environment and behavior.
How leaders can build trust
- Help people get to know each other as humans, not as functions (IT, Marketing, Finance).
- Create informal interaction early (e.g. dinner, informal meetings).
- Be personal as a leader.
- Model vulnerability:
- admit your own mistakes
- talk about projects that did not go well
- normalize problems
Warning signs
- One person remains completely closed.
- Problems are reported only at the last moment.
- Status meetings are always “green”.
If someone remains closed:
- address it in 1:1 conversations
- listen, do not convince
- if it blocks the team and the project is time-critical, replacement may be necessary (matrix advantage)
4. Dysfunction 2: Fear of conflict – artificial harmony
Why conflict is necessary
Healthy teams need conflict.
Not personal conflict, but constructive, task-related conflict:
- challenging ideas
- questioning assumptions
- debating alternatives
A team without conflict is not harmonious.
It is political or disengaged.
Typical dysfunction
- only the loudest voices speak
- quiet members withdraw
- disagreements happen outside the meeting
- meetings feel “nice” but ineffective
Role of the leader
- balance loud and quiet personalities
- explicitly invite different opinions
- protect dissenting voices
Emotional dynamics in conflict
- some escalate quickly and calm down quickly
- others escalate slowly and calm down slowly
Key insight:
At the emotional peak of a conflict, words do not convince.
Trying to solve a heated conflict with arguments usually makes it worse.
Practical implication
- sense tension early
- pause discussions if emotions peak
- use 1:1 conversations
- resume when emotions have cooled
Special case: overly friendly teams
- nobody wants to offend anyone
- bad ideas are not challenged
- frustration appears later, outside meetings
This is also dysfunctional.
5. Dysfunction 3: Lack of commitment – ambiguity and hesitation
How commitment is created
Commitment does not require consensus.
Commitment requires:
- being heard
- being allowed to voice opinions
- understanding the reasoning behind decisions
Research shows:
People commit more strongly to decisions they helped shape – even if the final decision is not their preferred one.
Typical leadership dilemma
The team discusses a topic and agrees on one solution.
The leader personally believes it is the wrong one.
Options:
- override the team → frustration
- follow the team → risk of wrong decision
- avoid decision → worst outcome
Leadership responsibility
- allow discussion
- decide when necessary
- accept that some decisions may be wrong
- avoid endless debate
Disagree and commit
- discussion ends
- execution begins
- no “I told you so”
- no reopening decisions without new facts
6. Dysfunction 4: Avoidance of accountability – low standards and peer silence
Desired state
In strong teams, accountability is peer-to-peer, not top-down.
The mindset is:
- “I can’t let my teammates down.”
- not “The boss expects this.”
People go the extra mile for the team, not for hierarchy.
The toxic high performer problem
- technically excellent
- strong individual results
- destructive social behavior
Key principle:
Individual brilliance never compensates for damage to the team.
Handling difficult people: forcing reflection
Direct confrontation often leads to:
- defensiveness
- counter-attacks
- escalation
A more effective approach:
- State that multiple team members have raised concerns.
- Do not argue details.
- Ask the person to reflect on their behavior.
- Give time (days, not minutes).
- Reconnect and discuss reflections.
If the person returns defensive:
- this confirms the issue
- you gain leverage to act
Leadership responsibility:
“No time” is not an excuse.
- avoiding difficult people decisions damages the team
- signals weak leadership
- escalates problems
7. Dysfunction 5: Inattention to results – ego over team outcome
Core idea:
Team members prioritize personal success, recognition, or ego over collective results.
Chicago Bulls example
- Michael Jordan retires at peak performance.
- Scottie Pippen becomes team captain.
- Coach designs a decisive play for another player.
- Pippen refuses to return if he does not take the final shot.
- The team wins the game.
- The internal break damages morale.
- The team collapses shortly after.
Key insight:
- short-term success does not compensate for broken team unity
- ego destroys long-term results
8. Capstone example: The CTO trade-off
Situation
Two consecutive CTOs in the same organization:
CTO A
- extremely strong technically
- brilliant architect
- low cooperation
- low trust
- high friction
- teams work around her
CTO B
- technically weaker
- fewer “genius” insights
- strong cooperation
- trust-based collaboration
- problems solved jointly
Outcome
Despite lower individual technical brilliance, overall team performance improves significantly under CTO B.
Why this matters
- results are produced by teams, not individuals
- individual excellence is irrelevant if collaboration collapses
- leadership quality is measured by team output, not personal IQ
This example implicitly reflects all lower dysfunctions:
- trust was higher
- conflict became constructive
- commitment increased
- accountability emerged naturally
Key leadership lesson:
A technically weaker leader can outperform a brilliant one if the team works as a team.
9. Final synthesis
Strong teams:
- trust each other
- debate openly
- commit after discussion
- hold each other accountable
- focus relentlessly on collective results
Leadership is not heroism.
Leadership is creating the conditions for team performance.
If the five dysfunctions are addressed systematically, teams:
- perform better
- learn faster
- enjoy working together