You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation, said Plato.
When was the last time you attended a business meeting where every person actually joined in? The team found new solutions to old problems? And, you had fun playing with toys?
That’s the beauty of LEGO Serious Play.
(Right: This team used LSP to see how re-organised departments were supporting the new regional business strategy.)
More than 400 billion LEGO bricks have been produced since their introduction in 1958, which works out to roughly 62 blocks per every person on Earth.
LEGO Serious Play brings the iconic toys of childhood directly to the board room. Using 3,500 LEGO bricks and pieces, workshop participants build three-dimensional models of their business, such as the company vision, department strategies or vertical operations, to name a few.
As building continues, players add deeper meaning and relevancy by using metaphors without realising it. Next, participants share their models with colleagues through storytelling, which subtly builds teamwork because the bricks level the playing field between leaders and followers, extroverts and introverts, and linear and lateral thinkers.
Finally, instead of 20% of people talking 80% of the time, every person is engaged because everyone’s playing off each other’s models. This collective spirit inspires the group’s creativity to look at business issues in a new light.
Right: This model demonstrated the CFO’s perspective belief how her department supported the organisation’s current business strategy.
Why Does LEGO Serious Play Work?
Despite being the most complex structure in the universe, the human brain can handle only a limited amount of information consciously at any given moment. At the same time, psychological research proves that hands are connected to 70%-80% of brain cells. That means if you engage the brain and hands at the same time, you increase the brain’s ability to learn and solve problems. Add in the element of play – active, alert but stress-free activity – and the brain figuratively lights up, particularly in desirable areas like clarity and memory.
How LEGO Serious Play Can Help Your Organisation
LSP can be used in a variety of ways. I’ve used it to …
- Explore issues to look for answers, improvements and alternatives
- Plan and organise strategies
- Deal with issues or crises
- Initiate and organise projects, particularly for organisational development or internal/external communications
- Inspire creativity and brainstorm ideas
- Encourage story-making and story-telling
- Develop and build teams
- Teach leadership
LSP works in any type of session. Use it as a backdrop for a half- or full-day strategy or creative workshop. Engage people between sessions at a conference, either for team building or individual fun.
If you’re interested in learning more about LEGO Serious Play, please use the Contact page to talk about how to LSP into your necdxt workshop, meeting or conference.
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