5 innovative ways of using the LEGO® Serious Play® Process

As a consultant or corporate trainer, your goal is to facilitate effective communication and collaboration within organizations.

BUT achieving this goal can often be challenging, especially when trying to engage employees in a meaningful way.

That’s where the LEGO® Serious Play® method comes in. This innovative approach to problem-solving and communication uses the power of play to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment. 

Let’s explore why consultants add the LEGO® Serious Play® method to their toolbox. 

What is LEGO® Serious Play®

LEGO Serious Play is a facilitated method that uses LEGO® bricks to help individuals and teams develop better communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.

The method was developed in the late 1990s by LEGO® and has since been used by organizations around the world to improve collaboration and creativity.  It’s a way of driving business alignment and working through numerous types of business challenges.

This innovative process involves building models that represent concepts, ideas, and scenarios that can be used to facilitate conversation and decision-making.

Let’s use the LEGO® Serious Play® Method in Innovative Ways!

#1 Team Building

The LEGO® Serious Play® method is a powerful way to build strong and cohesive teams.

• By engaging in a fun and creative activity, team members develop a shared language and better understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
• By using the physical bricks, each participant is able to express their own unique perspective while also considering those of their teammates.
• Through this visual representation they are able to uncover connections and ideas that may not have been seen before which can help in strengthening relationships within the group while also improving trust and understanding.

#2 Strategic Planning

By using this visual type of representation teams are able to uncover new insights that may not have been found through traditional methods such as discussion-based meetings or surveys.

• By building models and exploring different scenarios, organizations gain a deeper understanding of their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and develop a more effective strategy.
• A visual representation of how participants see the future direction of the organization sets the tone for deeper discussions about what the actions are that would lead up to the strategy being fulfilled.
• The models also allow for a form of scenario development so that teams are able to think through how they would respond to events that are within or even outside of their control.

#3 Conflict Management

The LEGO® Serious Play® method can be used to manage conflicts within teams.

• By building models, sharing stories and exploring different perspectives, individuals gain a deeper understanding of each other’s points of view. This is the start of finding common ground.
• By expressing their own unique perspective and by listening to the stories of other people, they come up with potential solutions that everyone can agree upon.
• Through this process, individuals are able to gain clarity on their own feelings and emotions related to the conflict while also discovering consensus between all parties involved which can help lead to a successful outcome.

#4 Ideation

The LEGO® Serious Play® method can be used to foster innovation and creative thinking within organizations.

• By encouraging individuals to think outside the box and explore new ideas, organizations develop more creative solutions to problems.  The bricks and the subsequent story-telling serve as the catalyst to this ideation process to ultimately improve business performance.
• Using the physical manipulatives, participants are able to explore multiple perspectives on a given problem.
• By creating visual representations of their ideas, the begin the process of uncovering new possibilities or solutions that may not have been seen before.

#5 Use in Training Programs and University Classes

Think of any training program or University class you are delivering. Consider how adding the LEGO® Serious Play® method would shake things up and transform both online Zoom type classes and in-person learning into an experiential process.

• By using the physical bricks, participants are able to explore different perspectives on a variety of topics which can help in gaining a better understanding of the material being taught. Think how different this is from watching a series of PowerPoint slides in a passive way!
• This process encourages active participation from each individual which helps to improve knowledge retention and allows for more meaningful conversations within the group.
• It is also an effective tool for developing problem solving skills as it forces individuals to think outside of their comfort zone in order to come up with creative solutions.

This is just the beginning – there are so many more possibilities to explore!  Here are a few more of the applications of this incredibly flexible process:

• Customer experience design

By building models that represent different aspects of the customer journey, individuals can gain a deeper understanding of the customer experience and develop strategies for improving it.

• Change management

Change is a constant in any organization, and the LEGO® Serious Play® method can be a valuable tool for managing change.

By building models that represent different aspects of the change process, individuals gain a deeper understanding of the impact of change and develop strategies for managing it effectively.

• Leadership development

The LEGO® Serious Play® method can be used to develop leadership skills within organizations. By building models that represent leadership qualities such as vision, collaboration, and empathy, individuals gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to be an effective leader.

Yes! If there is one valuable addition to your consultant or corporate trainer’s toolbox, this is it! It’s the game-changer you have been looking for to create a big ‘wow’ factor as part of your facilitation process.

Final reminders about what makes the LEGO® Serious Play® method a game-changer:

1. The LEGO® Serious Play® method is backed by research: The effectiveness of the LEGO® Serious Play® method has been demonstrated in various research studies. Those 3D models and the key insights that they drive are proven to make a strong impact. Click here to look at some of the work of Johan Roos.
2. The LEGO® Serious Play® method is adaptable: Whether you’re working with a small start-up or a large corporation, the method can be tailored to meet the specific goals and objectives of the group.
3. The LEGO® Serious Play® method is fun: Let’s face it, work can be stressful and tedious at times. LEGO® Serious Play® method injects some fun into the workplace, making it a more enjoyable and engaging experience for participants.

 For more information on how you can be trained and certificated in using the LEGO® Serious Play® method:

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