Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: TED Talks Daily
Episode: The surprisingly simple reason teams fail | Tessa West
Date: December 8, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode of TED Talks Daily, psychology professor Tessa West explores the unexpected but simple forces behind why even the smartest, most well-intentioned teams can fail. Drawing from famous real-world disasters and decades of research, West highlights the subtle—and often invisible—miscommunications that undermine group effectiveness, and offers actionable strategies for improving professional communication and decision-making.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Mars Climate Orbiter Disaster: A Case Study in Team Failure

[03:30]

• West recounts the 1999 Mars Climate Orbiter crash—a $125 million spacecraft lost due to a basic communication failure between two teams.
  • NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory used the metric system (newtons).
  • Lockheed Martin used imperial units (pounds).
  • No one clarified or discussed which unit was being used:

    “At no point did the folks at NASA say, hey guys, you're using the Newton as a unit of force, right? … That conversation never actually happened.” —Tessa West [04:50]

• The result: A catastrophic calculation error, likened to confusing pounds and kilograms when baking a cake, which led to mission failure.

2. Everyday Relevance of Simple Communication Errors

[05:54]

• West draws parallels to daily workplace interactions, noting that we often neglect to clarify “obvious” information.
  • The team member who asks to “level set” is often dismissed, but these small conversations are crucial.

  • “We’ve done this a million times, do we really need to cover that kind of thing? And the answer is yes...” —Tessa West [06:10]

3. The Danger of Rigid Processes & Ignored Information

[07:30]

• Even when critical errors were noticed and flagged—such as miscalculations—protocols trumped communication:
  • Teams ignored vital concerns because they weren’t submitted on the correct form.

    • “The people holding that critical information were ignored for a very dumb reason... They did not fill out the right form.” —Tessa West [07:54]

• Over-reliance on systems (like forms or communication platforms) can cause crucial details to be missed.

4. The Power and Fragility of Unique Information in Teams

[09:45]

• West introduces the “hidden profile” task, a classic team decision-making experiment:
  • One team member has information only they know (unique information).
  • If shared, it transforms group judgment; if not, poor decisions result.
  • Decades of studies show most teams fail to share and utilize unique information, regardless of group size or expertise.

    • “I have actually found in my own research... 20% unanimously picked applicant C. So the question is, what’s going on here?” —Tessa West [11:00]

• Teams focus on shared information; critical but less obvious facts often disappear from discussion.

5. The Invisible World of “Hidden Languages”

[12:49]

• Teams and workplaces naturally develop unique jargon, acronyms, and in-group language (“hidden languages”).
  • These foster efficiency and identity but can alienate outsiders or new members.

    • “They are all over our resumes, often in the forms of random letters strung together that very few people recognize.” —Tessa West [13:10]

  • Examples range from acronyms and slang (“Yeet”; “ASAP”; “BA/MBA/CEO”), to local workplace terminology.
  • Cultural and linguistic differences heighten misunderstandings.
• Illustrative Experiment:
  • Pairs working on describing nearly identical photos quickly developed unique nicknames for objects—“wall fern,” “tiny vibe”—that proved incomprehensible to outsiders or new team members.

    • “They actually get really irritated with each other pretty quickly for not understanding one another.” —Tessa West [15:17]

• These hidden languages arise in a matter of minutes and can hobble collaboration.

6. Why Teams Overestimate Their Communication Skills

[11:50]

• Teams often believe they are communicating well because interactions feel smooth—no overt conflict or red flags.
• But if critical information isn’t recognized or shared, even smooth-seeming collaboration can be deeply flawed.

  • “We can be communicating terribly and not know it, because the red flags that we usually look for… simply aren’t there.” —Tessa West [12:20]

7. Concrete Strategies to Improve Team Decisions

[16:50]

• West offers practical takeaways:
  • Be “that annoying person” who suggests checking the basics (“level set”), even if others roll their eyes.

    • “That 20 second conversation about the obvious thing… should happen, and it’s okay to be the one to do it.” —Tessa West [16:57]

  • Recognize that not all critical info looks important to everyone.
  • Don’t assume people will share everything—social or workplace norms can inhibit disclosure.
  • Restate important information multiple times and ensure it’s understood.
  • Create a culture where it’s okay to ask clarifying questions about jargon and language.

    • “Make it a norm to just say, ‘What did you mean by that? What were those letters? What did that phrase mean?’” —Tessa West [18:14]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Mars Probe Error:

  “If I thought I was using a pound of butter, and you thought we were using a kilogram of butter… your cake would end up tasting pretty gross.” —Tessa West [05:54]

• On workplace shortcuts:

  “We get very married to our processes, and these can actually be our Achilles heel in really important group decision making contexts.” —Tessa West [08:30]

• On jargon and exclusion:

  “Most of us know what it feels like to sit in a meeting where people are using them [hidden languages] and we don’t know them—you feel really stupid and you feel really left out.” —Tessa West [13:30]

• Advice for teams:

  “No matter what you do, don’t say Walfern.” —Tessa West [18:52]
  (A tongue-in-cheek warning against unexamined in-group language.)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:30] — The Mars Orbiter mishap: How a simple misunderstanding led to disaster
• [05:54] — Everyday neglect of clarifying obvious facts
• [07:30] — Critical information lost due to sticking to process
• [09:45] — The “hidden profile” experiment and why teams overlook unique info
• [12:49] — Hidden languages: How office jargon forms and spreads quickly
• [16:50] — Actionable strategies to improve team communication

Episode Tone & Language

Tessa West’s delivery is clear, witty, and engaging, blending relatable workplace anecdotes with hard-hitting research and a touch of humor. She challenges listeners to reflect on their own communication habits, gently poking fun at office culture while emphasizing the serious consequences of overlooked miscommunication.

Key Takeaways

• Team failure is often rooted in mundane, overlooked miscommunications, not malice or incompetence.
• Hidden languages, unspoken norms, and rigid processes can undermine even the best-intentioned groups.
• Proactive, explicit communication—however awkward or obvious-feeling—is essential for team success.
• Cultivating a workplace culture where people feel comfortable clarifying, restating, and questioning is key to preventing simple but costly failures.