Building Championship Cultures: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team & How Athletic Directors Can Overcome Them

In collegiate and high school athletics, success isn’t just about talent—it’s about culture. The most successful sports programs don’t just recruit great athletes; they build cohesive, high-performing teams with strong identity, character, chemistry, and accountability.

However, even the most talented teams can struggle with The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, a framework outlined by Patrick Lencioni that identifies the core issues that can fracture a team’s success. As an Athletic Director, your leadership in shaping team dynamics is crucial. Let’s explore these dysfunctions and how to use strategic tools like myPerforma to create an environment where teams thrive.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Sports Leadership Perspective

1. Absence of Trust: The Foundation of Team Identity

• The Problem: When athletes, coaches, or staff members don’t trust each other, they withhold information, fear vulnerability, and hesitate to collaborate. This erodes the team’s identity and culture.
• Sports Case Study: A Division I women’s basketball program was struggling despite having top recruits. Players feared admitting mistakes, leading to isolation and a lack of chemistry. When the coaching staff introduced trust-building exercises and vulnerability sessions, the team saw a dramatic improvement in communication and performance—leading to their first conference championship in a decade.
• How myPerforma Helps: myPerforma provides data-driven insights into player and coach dynamics, helping teams identify trust gaps and proactively address them with targeted interventions.

2. Fear of Conflict: Strengthening Team Character

• The Problem: Many sports programs avoid tough conversations, leading to unresolved issues that fester. Instead of constructive debates, teams either suppress disagreements or let them explode at the wrong time.
• Sports Case Study: A high school football team had internal rivalries that went unaddressed. The coaching staff facilitated structured, open discussions where players could voice concerns, debate strategies, and resolve conflicts constructively. This process strengthened the team’s resilience and ability to handle high-pressure situations on the field.
• How myPerforma Helps: With real-time feedback tools, myPerforma allows coaches and athletes to engage in structured, constructive discussions, ensuring that conflicts are handled productively rather than ignored.

3. Lack of Commitment: Defining Team Cohesion

• The Problem: Without clear goals and buy-in, teams struggle to stay aligned. Players may be unsure of their roles, leading to inconsistent effort and disengagement.
• Sports Case Study: A college lacrosse team suffered from mid-season collapses. Coaches started aligning every training session with clear, shared team objectives and reinforced commitment by ensuring each player understood how their role contributed to the overall mission. The result? A stronger sense of purpose and a turnaround season.
• How myPerforma Helps: myPerforma’s goal-setting and tracking features help teams define clear, measurable objectives—ensuring that every athlete is aligned and committed to the program’s mission.

4. Avoidance of Accountability: Elevating Team Chemistry

• The Problem: When teammates don’t hold each other accountable, performance declines. Coaches alone can’t be the enforcers—players must take ownership.
• Sports Case Study: A nationally ranked wrestling team struggled with discipline off the mat. The head coach introduced peer accountability sessions, where teammates constructively called out areas for improvement while reinforcing positive habits. The shift in culture led to improved practice habits and a championship run.
• How myPerforma Helps: myPerforma fosters peer accountability by providing transparency in individual and team performance metrics, empowering athletes to self-regulate and elevate each other’s standards.

5. Inattention to Results: Reinforcing Team Culture

• The Problem: When athletes focus more on personal stats than team success, it leads to division and underperformance.
• Sports Case Study: A college baseball team struggled with players chasing personal achievements rather than executing team-first strategies. The coaching staff reinforced culture-building principles, celebrating sacrifice plays and selfless contributions. This shift in focus led to higher team morale, improved performance, and a deep playoff run.
• How myPerforma Helps: myPerforma’s performance analytics allow programs to track not just individual stats but also key team-oriented contributions, ensuring that team success remains the priority.

Why Athletic Directors Need a Tool Like myPerforma

As an Athletic Director, your influence extends beyond wins and losses—you are responsible for developing leaders, fostering strong cultures, and ensuring long-term program success.

By implementing myPerforma, you can:
✔ Identify and address team dysfunctions before they escalate
✔ Enhance communication and trust-building among athletes and staff
✔ Establish clear, measurable goals and ensure commitment
✔ Reinforce accountability at all levels
✔ Develop a winning team culture that sustains long-term success

With real-time data, athlete engagement insights, and customized team development tools, myPerforma empowers coaches and athletes to function as high-performing units—creating a legacy of success for your athletic department.

Final Thought: Leadership Starts With You

Athletic Directors are the architects of championship cultures. By understanding and addressing The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and leveraging powerful tools like myPerforma, you can transform your athletic department into a hub of excellence, unity, and sustained success.

Ready to take your program to the next level? Invest in the future of your teams with myPerforma.

🚀 Learn More About myPerforma Here

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