This is an exercise from the world of school. It is an exercise in creativity and collaboration – this requires initiative, communication, and courage to try. Great tool for teambuilding!

Children are the world leader in this type of exercises because they dare to think differently and dare to test before they decide on a possible solution. Something we adults often have little harder. This exercise can be a great challenge at the staff meeting!

The Challenge

The challenge is that in 18 minutes to build a tower as high as independent as possible of spaghetti which is to put a marshmallow on top.

Although exercise can be done as a competition, it is not important how high the tower will be – or if it even remains – but how everyone works together.

In the exercise, the group may work out cooperation and creative ability. The show quickly on the participants’ capabilities – things that do not arrive as easy otherwise, and how they communicate.

Who takes the initiative? Who sees what the group needs? Who wants to plan? Who keeps track of time? Who test new solutions? Is someone a skeptic? Which standards created? Are you watching the other teams and take lessons?

Do this:

• Divide participants into groups of 4-5
• Each group will need:
  18 spaghetti (preferably a little thick) 1 m string or thread, 1 m masking tape, one marshmallow, and scissors.
• When 18 minutes have passed you say to, and then all should let go of the tower – it stays or falls?

1. Ask if anyone thinks they have won and measured the towers.
2. After the exercise, you give the groups time to reflect on how they worked. Ask how the process went.
3. Discussed the design and how high the tower would be? Take advantage of the participants’ past experiences.
4. Were members given different roles? Could they have worked better?

To solve a problem, we need each other’s abilities. We are all different, and together we can create new solutions that they had not come up with on their own.

Please have a look at this presentation at TED, where you can see how the exercise has been used.