---
title: ▍Build a Tower, Build a Team
created: 2026-05-27
modified: 2026-06-10
authors: Tom Wujec
category: TED Talk
tags: []
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> Design truly is a contact sport. It demands that we bring all of our senses to the task and that we apply the very best our thinking, our feeling, and our doing to the challenge we have at hand. <mark>Prototypes are an essential part of the design.</mark>

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* **[[00:16](https://youtu.be/H0_yKBitO8M?t=16)]** **[The Marshmallow Challenge](https://www.marshmallowchallenge.com/):** Introduction to the game where teams of four must build the tallest freestanding structure using 20 sticks of spaghetti, tape, string, and a marshmallow on top.
* **[[01:04](https://youtu.be/H0_yKBitO8M?t=64)]** **The “Uh-Oh” vs “Ta-Da” Moments:** Wujec maps out how most adult teams spend all their time planning a single structure, only for it to collapse under the weight of the marshmallow at the very last second.
* **[[01:51](https://youtu.be/H0_yKBitO8M?t=111)]** **Business Students vs Kindergarteners:** Explains why business graduates perform the worst (jockeying for power, searching for one single plan) while kindergarteners perform among the best.
* **[[04:05](https://youtu.be/H0_yKBitO8M?t=245)]** **The Admin Advantage:** Demonstrates how adding an executive administrator dramatically boosts a team’s performance by adding facilitation and process management skills. Teams excel when someone focuses on managing the collaboration process rather than just executing the task.

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* **Prototyping is crucial:** <mark>Kindergarteners succeed because they don’t just plan; they start with the marshmallow and build, then continually **refine** and **iterate** on their prototypes. This gives themselves constant, instant feedback on what works.</mark>
* **Identify your hidden assumptions:** Every project has its own “marshmallow”—a hidden assumption or late-stage factor that can cause the entire plan to buckle if not tested early on.
* **Design is a contact sport:** To turn an “uh-oh” moment into a success story, teams must actively bring their senses, iterative thinking, and doing to the challenge at hand.