Why Teams Fail: Communication Breakdowns and Hidden Languages | Tessa West | TED

The Mars Climate Orbiter Failure

• 🚀 A NASA mission to Mars failed in 1999 due to a critical communication breakdown between team members, not a technical issue.
• 💡 The core problem was that teams were not talking to each other about the right information at the right time, specifically using different units of force (Newtons vs. Pounds).
• 🍰 This is likened to making a cake with different measurements of butter, leading to a disastrous outcome.

Communication Mishaps and Processes

• ⚠️ A second communication mishap occurred when critical information was ignored because a required form was not filled out, highlighting how rigid processes can become an "Achilles heel."
• 🗣️ Miscommunication also extended to nonverbal cues, with urgency not being recognized due to a lack of perceived anxiety in tone of voice.
• 🔄 These failures are presented as more common than exceptional, even when teams have all the necessary information.

The Hidden Profile Task and Shared Information

• 🧠 In a classic experiment, teams were tasked with hiring the best candidate but often failed because they focused on shared information rather than unique information held by only one member.
• 💨 Unique information is described as fragile, easily lost, and teams often don't realize their communication is poor because interactions feel good and lack obvious red flags.
• 🗣️ Even when people speak the same literal language, they develop