The book's lessons were applied by several coaches to their teams in the National Football League in the United States.

[5] Other reviews appeared in the periodicals: Gordon Curphy and Robert Hogan, both organizational psychologists and leadership researchers, provide a critical perspective on Lencioni's team model in their book The Rocket Model: Practical Advice for Building High Performing Teams.

Lencioni also deserves credit for pointing out the following: The simplicity of the Five Dysfunctions model and key insights make it popular among human resource professionals and team consultants.

Nonetheless, Lencioni's book is explicitly a work of fiction; it is not based on research and its practical recommendations lack empirical support.

For example, when the trust level among team members is low, Lencioni recommends that leaders put them through a series of personal disclosures.