Spaghetti Teamwork
According to the site, in this video, “Tom
Wujec presents some surprisingly deep research into the 'marshmallow problem'
-- a simple team-building exercise that involves dry spaghetti, one yard of
tape and a marshmallow.
I’m an
avid reader; however, no matter how much I read, it means very little if there
is no application, no change, or no difference in my life. In other words, if I am not applying my
reading to my daily existence, it remains merely head knowledge – lost amid
thousands of other thoughts.
I’ve
found simply discussing something I’ve read with another person increases my
retention rate tremendously (may be a great research topic). What helps even more is being able to discuss
an issue and work through it in real time.
For instance, I’ve read numerous books on teamwork. I can recite the forming, storming, norming,
and performing stages; I can discuss leadership characteristics prevalent in
the assertive and passive leader. Yet, when
it comes to teams and teamwork dynamics, nothing works as well as a real time
exercise. Tom Wujec’s marshmallow exercise
achieved exactly that and more! In fact,
I’ve already begun to plan its use during our next team meeting at church.
Simple
exercises that challenge our interaction can expose great strengths and
weaknesses. Wujec said the marshmallow
exercise, “helps identify hidden assumptions and creates shared experiences,
common language, and aids prototyping facilitation.”
Who can build the tallest tower with these
ingredients? And why does a surprising group always beat the average?”
One of my
closest friends is a NASA engineer. He
builds rockets. Literally. He built a small hovercraft in his
apartment. I can’t fix a leaking toilet
and he’s building hovercrafts. It doesn’t
seem fair. Anyway, when he speaks of
designing and modeling, he breaks down the intricacies inherent with weight and
space dimensions. He talks of linear and
nonlinear quadratic formulas. When Wujec
said the engineers and architects can build the tallest towers, I immediately
pictured my friend building a spaghetti tower.
While it is extremely important to comprehend triangular formulations,
geometric patterns, and prototyping, there must also be an ability to
articulate and explain the physics behind the theory. Otherwise, it becomes a one-person show.
Do you agree with Tom Wujec's analysis of why
kindergarteners perform better on the Spaghetti Challenge than MBA students? Can
you think of any other reasons why kids might perform better?
Wujec
said MBA students fail miserably at this experiment because, “They fight. They cheat. They produce lame
structures.” In short, they don’t work
with prototypes throughout the process.
They wait until the end and assume that the structure they created will
be strong enough to support the marshmallow rather than testing it throughout
the process. It may be a result of
intellectual arrogance that leads them to believe their structure will support
the marshmallow only to find it collapsing on the table.
Wujec said, “Kindergarteners work
differently than MBA students. They build a little structure and add the
marshmallow throughout the process—testing it. They play around and add more spaghetti sticks.
Again and again, they build prototypes
each step of the way, always keeping the marshmallow on the top.”
Another reason MBA students may fail to accomplish a higher level of
success in the challenge is the battle for power and position. Throughout the process, each member wants to
lead, direct, and supply the best way forward.
Often, in many graduate schools, students are taught to take charge,
innovate, and “be the one with the right answer.” What is not taught (unfortunately) is the
value of humility and benefits of allowing others to lead. In kindergarten, children are working
together all day. They show-off their
work and are encouraged by other kids.
They appreciate fun, laughter, and the excitement that accompanies
“playtime.”
Spend five minutes in a kindergarten class and you’ll soon find out that
some of the children struggle with sharing and playing nice (you’ll see the
same thing in an MBA class). However,
generally, the children enjoy each other and welcome new and creative ideas. Kids are not as concerned with who gets the
credit; they just want to have fun. Too
many MBA students do not care if it’s fun; they just want the credit.
In your view, why do CEOs with an executive
assistant perform better than a group of CEOs alone?
CEO’s
cast vision, set strategy, and direct operations. They own the strategic functions of an
organization. The mid-level managers are
responsible for teaching, training, explaining, and facilitating. They are the operational function of an
organization. CEOs may struggle with
this exercise for many reasons. One is the
ability (or inability) to listen well.
Often, they are the ones telling
people what to do. The four-person exercise
would require them to listen to others and acquiesce in certain parts of the
building process. Secondly, much of
their day is spent talking and directing.
Little time is spent constructing and creating.
The
executive assistant is a facilitation expert.
They manage all the inbound tasks and have an acute ability to set
schedules and facilitate forward movement.
Wujec said of the executive assistant, “It seems that the admin's skills of facilitation
make a big difference. Any team member
who pays close attention to the process of work - encouraging timing, improving
communication, cross pollinating ideas - increases the team’s performance
significantly.”
If you were asked to facilitate a process
intervention workshop, how could you relate the video to process intervention
skills?
I just
returned from a two-day men’s retreat in northern Virginia at Westmoreland
State Park. We started planning the
retreat a couple of months back and highlighted many of the responsibilities
inherent in leading a camping trip with 35 men.
There were travel and lodging challenges, payment collections, food and
drinks to consider, and speakers to contact.
It is an exercise in planning, promotions, and perseverance. As team leader, I’ve learned a great deal
more about communicating, patience, and delegation. Looking back, I realize I should have brought
in three or four more men to help put the retreat together. And, at the outset, I would like to show them
the video or maybe even conduct the exercise.
It would have been a great catalyst to demonstrate the different
leadership styles and highlight the ability or inability of team members to
work together.
We have
already started discussing the next event – a marriage retreat scheduled for
November 1-2. After seeing this exercise
and reviewing the events over the weekend, I am realizing it is time to pull in
the “Marriage Retreat Team” and nail down the specifics. Time is short.
What can you take away from this exercise to
immediately use in your career?
Whether I am performing my
responsibilities as a Lockheed Martin employee or leading men and women at
church-wide functions, the main engine behind the success of any event is the
ability for people to work together. Wujec’s
video is a great example of team dynamics and the personalities of its
members. It is a great way to find
people’s strengths and weaknesses in a short amount of time. Before I plan the next big event, I’ll conduct
the spaghetti challenge and use it as a Launchpad into the project.
Steve
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