# The surprisingly simple reason teams fail | Tessa West

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-business-388139/the-surprisingly-simple-reason-teams-fail-tessa-west
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-business-388139/the-surprisingly-simple-reason-teams-fail-tessa-west.md
Podcast: [TED Business](https://stenobird.com/podcast/ted-business-388139)
Published: 2026-02-09T05:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://audiocollective.ted.com
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/675727607205a5bc68e57057/e/698624dc45f62cfe94004fb1/media.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ted-business-388139/episodes/the-surprisingly-simple-reason-teams-fail-tessa-west
Duration seconds: 1138

## Resource

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. After the talk, Modupe urges you to be brave and ask for clarification and how it can help you feel more empowered in the workplace. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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## Transcript

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