Build a tower, build a team | Tom Wujec

The Marshmallow Challenge

In this section, the speaker introduces the Marshmallow Challenge and explains how it works.

Introduction to the Marshmallow Challenge

• Teams of four have to build the tallest free-standing structure out of 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string and a marshmallow.

• The marshmallow has to be on top.

• It forces people to collaborate very quickly.

Lessons from the Marshmallow Challenge

In this section, the speaker shares some deep lessons about collaboration that can be learned from the Marshmallow Challenge.

Nature of Collaboration

• Most people begin by orienting themselves to the task.

• They spend some time planning, organizing, they sketch and they lay out spaghetti.

• They spend most of their time assembling sticks into ever-growing structures.

• Just as they're running out of time, someone takes out the marshmallow and puts it on top.

• But what really happens is that the "ta-da" turns into an "uh-oh," because the weight of the marshmallow causes the entire structure to buckle and collapse.

Kindergarteners vs Business School Graduates

• Recent graduates of business school lie, cheat, get distracted and produce lame structures.

• Recent graduates of kindergarten produce better structures than most adults because they start with prototypes and build successive prototypes always keeping the marshmallow on top so they have multiple times to fix when building prototypes along the way.

Architects & Engineers vs CEOs

• Architects & engineers understand triangles and self-reinforcing geometrical patterns are key to building stable structures.

• CEOs perform a little bit better than average but if you put an executive admin on their team they get significantly better because they have special skills in facilitation.

High Stakes Impact

In this section, the speaker explains how high stakes can impact performance in the Marshmallow Challenge.

Impact of High Stakes

• When a $10,000 prize was offered to the winning team, not one team had a standing structure.

• The same exercise was done again with the same students and they went from being the very worst to being among the very best because they understood the value of prototyping.

Conclusion

In this section, the speaker concludes by explaining why anyone would spend time writing about the Marshmallow Challenge.

Lessons Learned

• There are deep lessons for us about incentives and success.

• Specialized skills and facilitation skills are essential for strong success.

• Any team who manages and pays close attention to work will significantly improve their performance.

The Value of Experience

In this section, the speaker talks about the value of experience and how it can help in building the right prototype.

Importance of a Common Language and Stance

• A common language and stance are important to build the right prototype.

• The experience gained from simple exercises like Marshmallow Challenge can be valuable.

• Interested individuals can visit MarshmallowChallenge.com for step-by-step instructions on how to build marshmallows.

Design as a Contact Sport

• Design is a contact sport that demands bringing all senses to the task.

• Applying the best thinking is crucial in design.

• There are crazy examples from around the world of how people tweak and adjust systems.

• World records exist for Marshmallow Challenge.