Blogs

Building Stronger Teams:
What The Five Dysfunctions of a Team Teaches Us About Educational Leadership

At our recent ACEL WA book club, a small yet passionate group of leaders gathered over coffee and cake to discuss Patrick Lencioni’s book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. A rich discussion ensued which led to many helpful ‘take-aways’ that were food for thought.

In schools, we often speak about the importance of collaboration, shared purpose, and collective efficacy, something that, in my role as Associate Principal at Dayton Primary School, we return to often; recognising that our positive culture is not something that happens by chance, but something we build deliberately through our daily actions and interactions. [You can read an article I wrote about culture here if you like]. Yet, even in the most committed teams, there are moments where alignment falters, trust feels fragile, progress slows and conflict bubbles. On this, Patrick Lencioni offers a simple, yet powerful, model that helps leaders make sense of these moments and, more importantly, respond to them with clarity and intention.

At the heart of Lencioni’s model is a pyramid of five interconnected dysfunctions that can undermine team effectiveness: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. While these ideas are not new in leadership literature (and his book was actually written back in 2002, almost a quarter of a century ago!), what makes this model so compelling is its clarity and its direct applicability to the everyday work of teams, including those in schools and education systems.

The foundation of strong teams is trust. In a school context, this goes beyond professional courtesy or collegiality; as it requires vulnerability-based trust, where leaders and teachers feel safe to admit mistakes, ask for help, and engage in honest dialogue. Without this trust, any collaboration remains surface-level. At Dayton, this is something we intentionally prioritise, creating space in team meetings and professional learning for openness, reflection, and shared problem-solving, and owning up when we get things wrong as leaders, espousing that when we know better, we do better! We discussed at book club about how this trust is different than being trustworthy and following through on our promises and simply being there for people. It is about being more vulnerable and open about our shortcomings and failures (without of course being too vulnerable and open as to undermine our role as leaders), something that we decided was more challenging than just being trustworthy.

According to Lencioni, when this trust is present, it opens the door to the second layer of the pyramid: healthy conflict. In many schools, there is a tendency to avoid conflict in the name of harmony, yet Lencioni reminds us that productive disagreement is essential for growth and to develop a strong team. It is through respectful challenge and robust discussion that the best ideas emerge and decisions are strengthened (something Dr Ray Boyd [Dayton’s principal] and I shared with the book club group that we have excelled at over the years in many heated ‘discussions’!). We did discuss, while uncomfortable at first, it is a positive thing when our team members feel they can challenge us on ideas, or raise alternative views; although we did highlight how important it is to ensure we only discuss problems and ideas, not people, and to keep an eye on our vision in these sometimes heated exchanges.

From this solid foundation, Lencioni explains that commitment becomes possible. When team members have had the opportunity to contribute, question (perhaps argue), and be heard, they are far more likely to commit to decisions, even if those decisions were not their initial preference. This sense of shared ownership is critical in education, where consistent implementation across classrooms and contexts is key to impact. In our context at Dayton, we believe it is important to have a clearly articulated vision, and to share the expectations with the team on how we will work to attain this vision and why these steps are important. This is reflected in our Instructional Playbook and shared approaches to teaching, where clarity and consistency are not about compliance, but about collective agreement and commitment in pursuit of better outcomes for students.

Accountability follows as we rise up the pyramid. In strong teams, accountability is not driven solely by leaders but is shared across the group. Colleagues hold one another to agreed standards, not out of compliance, but from a collective commitment to students and to the work. This aligns closely with our belief that “the standard you walk past is the standard you accept” - a reminder that culture is shaped in the small moments, through what we notice, address, and uphold together.

Finally, this leads to a focus on results, where the success of the team is measured not by individual achievements, but by collective outcomes. In schools, this means keeping student learning and wellbeing at the centre of every decision. We had an interesting discussion about the different results we focus on in schools, and how we could perhaps, in the future, broaden our focus beyond that of academic achievement in many contexts. We really did need more than 2 hours to unpack this book!

On reflection, Lencioni’s model offers both a mirror and a map for school and system leaders. It invites us to reflect honestly on where our teams may be experiencing friction or disconnect, and it also provides a clear pathway for strengthening practice. Importantly, it reinforces that high-performing teams are not built through structures alone, but through intentional culture-building in the daily actions, conversations, and expectations that shape how we work together. At Dayton, this is something we continue to learn and refine, recognising that strong teams require ongoing attention, not one-off solutions.

In an increasingly complex educational landscape, where the challenges we face cannot be solved in isolation, the quality of our teams matters more than ever. As leaders, our role is not just to lead individuals, but to cultivate the conditions where teams can thrive; where trust is strong, dialogue is open, and collective responsibility drives meaningful outcomes for every student. At its core, this is the work: building teams that are aligned, accountable, and united in purpose, so that every child benefits from the collective strength of those around them.

Question for reflection: Which layer of Lencioni’s model is currently the most fragile in your team, and what is one intentional action you could take this term to strengthen it?

REGISTER NOW

WA: Term 2 Innovation Network Meet-up
May 14, 2026 | 2-4pm
Guildford Grammar School or online via Teams

Join the ACEL WA Branch for the Leading Innovation in Education - May Meet up! 🌟You won't want to miss this event! 🌟

innovation /ɪnəˈveɪʃn/: noun – the introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something...

Join us to meet with educational leaders from different schools and sectors, across all learning stages from early childhood to higher education, to discuss all things innovation in education and to hear about new ideas for improvement. These leading Western Australian school, higher education, and system leaders will share case studies of leading innovation in their different contexts.

🌟 Our speakers 🌟
💡Gabrielle Trinca, Head of Learning Technologies, Guildford Grammar School
💡Jon Butcher, Principal, Bold Park Community School
💡Jacquie Cooper, Principal, Deanmore Primary School
💡Laura Strentz, Acting Director, Young Entrepreneurs Academy WA, Curtin University

💰 Free for members and non-members

ACEL WA Hot Topic Event: Leading in a Climate of Change
June 10, 2026 | 5 - 7pm
Aranmore College or Online via Teams

Are you an educator considering leadership, or perhaps you’re already on the journey and would love some insights from those who have recently walked the path? Join us for a dynamic evening of conversation as we explore the challenges of leading when you are still making sense of the place, the people and the work. Hear from three exceptional school/system leaders about their real-life experiences as they have stepped into leadership roles in new schools/contexts, or have experienced changing contexts in an existing role.

🔹 What to expect:

✅ Honest conversations about the highs, lows and challenges of leading in a climate of change

✅ Lived leadership experiences in three distinct contexts

✅ Insights on how to navigate challenges and seize new opportunities

✅ A chance to ask YOUR burning questions!

🔹 Who you’ll hear from:

🎤 Peter Allen, Principal, Guildford Grammar

🎤 Lisa Fogliani, Principal, Aranmore Catholic College

🎤 Stephen Jeffrey, Consultant Campaigns and Projects, Department of Education

💰 Cost to Attend: Free for ACEL members, $10 for non-members (pizza 🍕 and drinks 🍷included)

JULY BOOK CLUB BOOK SELECTION

Our July Book Club will take place on Thursday 16th July (in the school holidays) and we would love your input into the book we focus on. If you have time, you can click on the below survey to let us know your thoughts before 15th May.

FILL OUT THE FORM

New ACEL WA Members

We would like to, once again, give a hearty welcome to these new and reinstated members to the ACEL WA collective. It is fabulous to have you onboard, and we look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming events!

• Karen Murcia, Curtin University

• Jaclyn Huts, Wellard Village Primary School

• Shani Andrews, John XXIII College

• Sarsha Mennell, Curtin University

• Gabrielle Nairn, Hensman Street Elementary

• Timothy Bamber, Oberthur Primary School

  

Thanks for taking a moment out of your day to read our WA newsletter (if you made it this far down!). Please take the time to reach out via email if you have any questions, comments or just want to connect.

Rachael Lehr
ACEL WA Branch President