Skip the Small Talk: What 900 Skittles taught us about teams, creativity, and workplaces
Date
Oct 14, 2025
Category
From the Labs
In May 2025, our friends at Epoch [1] invited us to run an activity to help people connect at Epoch Connect [2]. With a handful of thought-provoking questions and a whole lot of Skittles, we got a colorful snapshot of what people value most at work.
From the Labs
Resources...
Got Question?
The premise
We skipped the surface-level chatter that typically comes along with networking and got straight to the conversations that matter.
People had 40 minutes to rotate through eight conversation stations, each showcasing a thought-provoking question. Everyone received a fun-size pack of Skittles, which served as their “voting tokens” (and a sweet treat). After pairing up to share their answers, people dropped Skittles into labeled containers to cast their votes before moving on to the next station. By the end, we had a colorful snapshot of what people value most at work. What we asked // What people said
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What it all means
Teams > Mission. 86% said they’d rather feel deeply connected to their team than to their company’s mission. If that’s not a call to invest in healthy, well-design teams, nothing is. Culture doesn’t live in a mission statement; it lives in the relationships people have with each other.
Collaboration Sparks Creativity. When asked what led to their most recent good idea, 79% pointed to collaborative conversations over solo work. The environments we shape - virtual, physical, psychological - must actively support high-quality conversations, not just individual work sessions.
Belonging and Autonomy: Both Important. The near-tie between Belonging (57) and Autonomy (56) suggests that these are not at odds with each other and are equally important. Thriving cultures create space for both: individual agency within a trusted community.
Workplace Should Be Energetic. Two-thirds preferred a workplace that feels like a “launchpad” with energy and motion, rather than a “second home”. People are seeking spaces that activate them, not replicate their living rooms.
Friction Has a Role in Creativity. Creativity research shows that the process involves a series of convergent and divergent thinking. [3] The Skittles validated this - 42% said their most creative moments happen when things are “a little messy and tense” while the majority preferred “easy and fluid”. The opportunity lies in intentioning designing for both modes, rather than defaulting to the same types of spaces and processes for all creative work.
We’ve Said It and We’ll Say It Again: Desks Do Not Equal Work. Nearly half of respondents spend less than 2 hours at a desk when they’re at their company-provided workplace. Whether workplaces and systems should reflect the reality that workplaces are no longer desk-centric; they are multi-modal environments.
We Crave Connection. Given the choice, 59% chose “constant interruptions with rich connections” over siloed focus. Efficiency is not the only, nor primary goal. Rich interactions drive creativity, trust, and long-term performance.
In just 45 minutes and a few hundred Skittles, we surfaced some big truths from work and people leaders. People want to belong to strong teams, create together, and move through workplaces that energize and fuel them.
If we want workplaces to truly work, we have to design for connection.
Resources
[2] https://www.epochapp.com/conferences/connect-2025
[3]Guilford, J. P. (1959). Three faces of intellect. American Psychologist, 14(8), 469–479. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0046827
