Assessment and Training: Five Behaviors® of a Cohesive Team

Build a Culture of Teamwork that Drives Results

The Five Behaviors® profile system is based on The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. The five behaviors Lencioni identified will result—if each is maximized—in a team that operates as efficiently and effectively as possible. The characteristics of a cohesive team are Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results. Each behavior in the model builds upon the previous and supports the others. The team profile and facilitated program lets team members know how they and the team are doing, and how they can become more cohesive.

1. Trust: At the base of the pyramid is trust. Without trust on the team, very little progress can be made in gaining cohesiveness overall. Vulnerability-based trust (the ability to expose one's weaknesses) is key to building the relationships required to be able to withstand and even benefit from both the routine and unique challenges every team faces.

2. Conflict: Conflict is sometimes considered dangerous on a team because it can lead to hard feelings.  However, if the team has relationship trust, members feel secure enough to be honest and courageous. If trust is truly in place, conflict is constructive.  In fact, conflict is critical to ensuring that all points of view and aspects of issues have been discussed, understood, and taken into account. Teams without conflict tend to shut out valuable feedback which can lead to poor decision-making.

3. Commitment: Gaining commitment from team members is not the same as getting consensus. According to Lencioni, reaching consensus means compromise, and compromise might not yield the best result.  Commitment comes with clarity of purpose.  Take a problem for which there are several ideas.  With trust and appropriate conflict, the team chooses the idea they will pursue.  Though only one idea is chosen, every member understands why that idea was selected and supports the idea -- both inside the team and when communicated externally.

4. Accountability: Accountability is typically the most difficult behavior for a team to master.  Most will never get to the point where each team member routinely holds all other members accountable. Reaching and maintaining good scores in the previous steps will make accountablity much easier.  Accountability can become part of a team's overall dynamic. 

5. Results: Achieving team objectives is why the team exists. If each prior behavior is functioning well, each member of the team is focused on achieving the team's goal.  The team goal becomes more important than any individual's personal goal, and everyone feels rewarded by being part of the team result.

Starting with The Five Behaviors assessment, team members will gain insights about themselves, others, and their approach to teamwork. These insights are then brought to life through a powerful virtual or in-person facilitated experience that works by addressing the full spectrum of essential cohesive team behaviors. When teams start with a foundation of vulnerability-based trust, they can be genuinely transparent and honest with one another. From this foundation, team members can channel the power of productive conflict and debate, commit to shared goals, hold each other accountable, and deliver better results—together.

Personal Development Report Features: Sample Five Behaviors Personal Development Report.pdf

• 23-page report focuses on the critical skills you need to become a more effective and productive member of any team.
• Designed for individual learners; participants do not have to be part of the same team.
• Concepts are explained and personally interpreted based on your own, unique test responses.

Team Development Report Features: Sample Five Behaviors Team Development Report.pdf

• 37-page report includes the personal development profile but also includes a deeper understanding of others on their team
• Teams learn how their specific team is performing on each of the behaviors in the model
• Team members better understand their dynamics and create action plans for areas of improvement