The Tallest Tower

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Examine how structural assumptions and resource inequalities shape team choices about competition and cross-group sharing.

Use it when: Use during cross-functional planning or team development when departments operate in silos and struggle to share restricted resources.

Skip it when: Skip if the team has unresolved interpersonal conflict around fairness, or when physical construction creates unneeded motor barriers.

Group arrangement: 3 to 5 small teams of 4 to 5 people at separate tables

Timing: Source specifies ~20 minutes for building; total session length is 35 minutes including distribution, construction, and debrief.

Materials and tools

• 1 tape measure
• 1 opaque bag or box per team
• Assorted construction paper (sheets)
• Paper cups (9 oz)
• Popsicle sticks or wooden craft sticks
• Rolls of masking tape
• Ballpoint pens (for wrapping tape)
• Small tokens or paper certificates for completion

Before participants arrive

1. Pre-pack opaque bags with deliberately unbalanced contents. For example, Bag 1 gets 1 full roll of masking tape, 10 paper cups, 5 sticks, 4 sheets of paper; Bag 2 gets a 12-inch strip of tape wrapped on a pen, 25 cups, 5 sticks, 8 sheets of paper; Bag 3 gets a 2-inch tape scrap, 10 cups, 35 sticks, 1 sheet of paper; Bag 4 gets 6 inches of tape, 15 cups, 15 sticks, 15 sheets of paper. Ensure bags are sealed or closed so differences are hidden at the start. Arrange separate tables spaced apart.

Say this to open

Your goal is to build the tallest freestanding tower you can using only the materials inside your team bag. The tower must stand on its own without support when time ends. You have everything you need in your bag. I cannot answer process questions once building starts. You will have 20 minutes. Please send one representative to collect your bag.

How to run it

1. Form teams and distribute packets 4 minutes

   Assign participants to balanced tables of 4 to 5 people. Call one representative from each table to a neutral spot. Hand each rep one sealed bag. Deliver the opening script. Answer no process questions, replying only with: 'You have received all the instructions I can give. Your team will decide how to work.'

2. Core construction and observation 14 minutes

   Start the 20-minute building clock. Observe how groups handle their supplies. Refrain from answering questions about why packets differ, deflecting neutrally. At minute 10, pause the room for 60 seconds and invite everyone to walk around in silence to view other structures without touching anything. Resume building for the remaining time.

3. Final measurement and tower inspection 6 minutes

   Call stop. All hands off structures immediately. Measure each tower standing unsupported for 10 seconds from table surface to highest point using a tape measure. Announce the heights. Acknowledge completed standing towers.

4. Structured debrief 11 minutes

   Gather everyone to face the center. Facilitate a discussion using the structured questions. Take 2 to 3 responses per prompt. Focus on assumptions about competition versus cross-team trade.

Debrief questions

• When did you realize that other tables had different materials, and what was your immediate reaction?
• Did your group treat this as a competition between tables, and where did that rule come from?
• What could have been built if all tables pooled their materials or traded surplus supplies?
• How does this dynamic reflect how our real-world teams allocate resources or share work across departments?

Finished output: A measured height for each standing tower and documented group insights on perceived competition and resource sharing.

Remote

Not recommended for remote formats because the core mechanic relies on tactile physical building with hidden resource disparities. For an online substitute exploring siloed communication, run a breakout puzzle exercise where each subgroup receives partial data to solve a single joint case.

Hybrid

This activity requires all active builders to share physical space. Remote participants can join as remote advisors paired to a table via video call, advising on structural balance and tracking time, but they cannot directly handle supplies.

Access and participation choices

• Participants who prefer not to handle small materials can serve as team strategists, timekeepers, or measurement recorders.
• Anyone may step back to an observer role at any point without penalty or need for disclosure.

If the session gets stuck

A team directly asks the facilitator why another table received more tape or sticks.

Respond neutrally without confirming or denying unfairness: 'I cannot answer procedural questions; your team may use its materials as you see fit.'

Teams attempt to steal materials from neighboring tables.

Intervene immediately to preserve safety and consent. State that materials may only change hands through mutual agreement between groups.

Terms used here

• Freestanding: Supporting its own weight without leaning against walls, ceilings, people, or furniture.