The surprisingly simple reason teams fail

Name: The surprisingly simple reason teams fail
Uploaded: 2025-12-08T15:34:29Z
Duration: 15 min 35 s
Description: In 1999, a NASA mission to Mars failed ... not from a technical glitch, but because people weren't talking to each other. Psychology professor Tessa West explores how assumptions, overlooked details and "hidden languages" can quietly sabotage even the smartest teams — and explores the small shifts in communication that can make a big difference in how information lands.

345,161 plays|

Tessa West |

TEDxCatawba

• June 2025

In 1999, a NASA mission to Mars failed ... not from a technical glitch, but because people weren't talking to each other. Psychology professor Tessa West explores how assumptions, overlooked details and "hidden languages" can quietly sabotage even the smartest teams — and explores the small shifts in communication that can make a big difference in how information lands.