# The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

4 Hacker News commenters recommended The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** People recommend this book for its model of team dysfunction, starting with fear of conflict caused by absence of trust.

## Why people recommend it

- Explains fear of conflict and trust (1 comments): "This is one of the Five Dysfunctions of a Team (fear of conflict, caused by absence of trust)." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46491005))
- Called a classic and enjoyable (2 comments): "Patrick Lencioni covers this well in his classic book" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47166289)) "I have enjoyed ... The Five Dysfunctions of a team" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49295955))
- Covers finding your first team (1 comments): "talks about figuring out who your "first team" is" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48649377))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [The Gervais Principle by Venkatesh Rao](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gervais-principle.md): 32 recommend
- [The Lean Startup by Eric Ries](https://hackerapproved.com/p/lean-startup.md): 32 recommend
- [Incorruptible by Eric Ries](https://hackerapproved.com/p/incorruptible.md): 23 recommend
- [The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/goal.md): 21 recommend
- [Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss](https://hackerapproved.com/p/never-split-the-difference.md): 13 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/111817674X?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9781118176740) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni", https://hackerapproved.com/p/five-dysfunctions-of-a-team/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).