A635.4.3.RB - Build a Tower, Build a Team

Tom Wujec presents some surprisingly deep research into the 'marshmallow problem' -- a simple team-building exercise. According to the video, this exercise forces people to collaborate very quickly in order to build the tallest structure.

Most people would assume that recent business school students would perform better than recent kindergarten students. However, that is incorrect. Surprisingly, kindergarteners builder taller towers and the most interesting towers. Rather than talking about "How" to complete the task, jostling for power or trying to find a single right plan, they start with the marshmallow and build prototype towers along the way (Wujec, 2010). This iterative process provides instant feedback to the young teams of what works and what doesn't.

I believe this children perform better at this team exercise because they solve problems creatively, creating their own solutions through trial and error whereas adults don't (or can't) think outside the box. Furthermore, children have a shared mindset with much less distractions and biases than adults. As we grow and age, we form perspectives and beliefs, based on prejudices, bias, and half-truths. These beliefs determine how we see the world, the assumptions we formulate, and the theories we use to figure things out (Elder & Paul, 2013). Kindergarteners, without the prejudices and biases, are able to quickly come together with the goal, and only the goal, in mind.

Wujec presents that CEOs with an executive assistant perform better than a group of CEOs alone. I believe this is, like Wujec (2010) states, because the executive assistants possess specialized facilitation skills which greatly improve success. While the CEOs are mainly focused on the end goal, executive assistants play a strategic management role. They use their intuition, judgment, business knowledge, motivational techniques, and personal leadership to make decisions and save time (Torres, 2014). Executive assistants adapt their technological skills and manage the process to ensure success.

If I were asked to facilitate a process intervention workshop, I could relate the video to prove that practitioners should ask questions, provide resources and focus on how the teams can work together, much like how executive assistants work with the CEOs.  Furthermore, the teams need to solve their own problems like the kindergarten students using the iterative feedback through prototypes. "The OD practitioner practicing process interventions observes individuals and teams in action and helps them learn to diagnose and solve their own problems" (Brown, p.199).  Practitioners, facilitators and executive assistants can also provide feedback so the group members learn about how they communicate with each other (Brown, 2011).  

This video and reflection demonstrate the need for impact of process intervention skills, feedback and communication. Wujec (2010) expresses the exercise uncovers very deep lessons about the nature of collaboration.  We need to remember to think outside the box like kindergarteners, keep the goal in mind like CEOs but use facilitative process intervention skills like executive assistants in order to work most effectively together.  Most importantly, we need to continue to use feedback.  

Brown, D. R. (2011). An Experimental Approach to Organizational Development (8 ed.). Upper Saddle River, Pearson Education, Inc.

Elder, L. & Paul, R. (2013).  30 Days to Better Thinking and Better Living Through Critical Thinking: A Guide for Improving Every Aspect of Your Life, Revised and Expanded.  FT Press.
Torres, N. (2014, December 13).  What Executive Assistants Know About Managing Up. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2014/12/what-executive-assistants-know-about-managing-up
Wujec, T. (2010). Build a tower, build a team. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_wujec_build_a_tower