IPEC Domain/Competency 

Teams and Teamwork

Sub-Competency

TT2 Appreciate team members’ roles, responsibilities, expertise, and authority to enhance team effectiveness

Goals and objectives

• Engage in collaborative planning and iterative problem-solving
• Practice shared leadership and collective decision-making
• Examine assumptions about expertise and authority

Materials

• 20 spaghetti sticks; 1 yard tape; 1 yard string; 1 marshmallow; scissors; timer

Activity description

Teams are challenged to build the tallest freestanding structure that supports a marshmallow on top within a fixed time limit. However, when using this activity to support progression toward the Norming stage of team development, the emphasis should extend beyond achieving the task itself. Rather than focusing primarily on the height of the tower, teams should focus on the question: How effectively can the team work together to complete the challenge? (rather than the height of the tower). Before starting to build, teams must decide how to plan, test, and revise their structure using limited materials (e.g., How will we make decisions? How will we ensure all voices are heard? How will we handle disagreements? How will we respond if our design fails?). The activity highlights differences between planning-oriented and action-oriented approaches, as well as assumptions about leadership and expertise. Facilitators observe communication patterns, distribution of influence, responses to failure, and adaptation over time. Facilitators may also do a midpoint team check in; ask teams to pause the marshmallow structure building and ask teams to reflect on what is working well in their teams and what adjustments they’d like to make for the remaining time. This encourages teams to consciously refine the norms they discussed prior to starting the activity. Reflection centers on process of teamwork: collaboration, iteration, learning from setbacks, and how team process – not outcome – shapes effectiveness. If using recognition or reward for teams, focus on rewarding team process, not just height.

• How did your team approach planning and decision-making before and during the challenge?
• How did your team share leadership, responsibilities, and decision making?
• In what ways did team members' ideas, skills, or expertise contribute to the final outcome?
• What team norms or agreements helped your group work effectively together?
• What behaviors helped build trust within your team?
• When differences in opinion occurred, how were they handled?
• What collaborative behavior would you like to carry forward into future team activities?

Optional Closing Reflection

How might the strategies your team used during this challenge apply to working in an interprofessional or interdisciplinary team?

Use

Mid-program teamwork and leadership development (e.g., Norming stage of team development); innovation or systems-thinking contexts

• Setup & instructions: 5 minutes
• Activity (build + iteration): 18 minutes
• Debrief/reflection: 10–15 minutes
• Total: 33–38 minutes

Variation for IPE or IDE experiences

• IPE: Form teams with participants from different professions; reflection emphasizes how professional identity, perceived expertise, and hierarchy influence decision-making and collaboration
• IDE: Use in preparation for an interdisciplinary group project; reflection emphasizes leadership styles, task delegation, and coordination within shared professional roles

Additional Resources

• Wujec, T. (2010). Build a Tower, Build a Team. TED Conferences.
• Wujec, T. The Marshmallow Challenge (official facilitator resource).
• Orgler, M. (2024). Real lessons on teamwork from the Marshmallow Challenge.

References

• Tuckman, B. W., & Jensen, M. A. C. (1977). Stages of small-group development revisited. Group & Organization Studies, 2(4), 419-427.
• Salas, E., Sims, D. E., & Burke, C. S. (2005). Is there a “Big Five” in Teamwork? Small Group Research, 36(5), 555–599. Link
  
  

Adapted by: CHBS IPE and IDE Council, James Madison University
Suggested Citation: CHBS IPE and IDE Council. (2026). The Marshmallow Challenge – Building Shared Strategy. CHBS IPE & IDE Instructional Toolkit. James Madison University.