News - April 08
The Power of LEGO Serious Play
by Jim Paton
LEGO SERIOUS PLAY was conceived in the late 1990s, born out of research by two IMD Professors, Bart Victor and Johan Roos, and the vision of LEGO owner and then CEO Kjeld Kristiansen. It was developed as an alternative to more "conventional" approaches to strategy, playing on concepts such as the use of guiding principles, emergence, and metaphors, and building on the theories of constructionism, constructivism and flow in the field of psychology.
When describing the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY approach in this way, I tend to find peoples' eyes start to glaze over at this point! Interesting though the academic background may be, most business people are interested in what the methodology can do for them. Well, in today’s increasingly fragmented, global and virtual business world, LEGO SERIOUS PLAY offers real opportunities to organisations that want to harness the full potential of their internal resources and think outside the box to solve new challenges.
Since its launch in 2002, LEGO SERIOUS PLAY has been used successfully by many businesses worldwide to unlock the creative potential of diverse and highly skilled teams, and to facilitate the development of robust, holistic strategies that unite stakeholders in the face of uncertainty.
The approach appears simple on the surface. During workshops, participants are invited to build models that represent aspects of their roles, the business and its landscape, and they then play out possible future events in the here and now and learn from the emerging interactions that unfold.
However, the use of LEGO as a modelling tool, along with a carefully designed facilitation process, is incredibly powerful for a number of reasons...
• As you build, the connection between hands and mind allows unconscious thoughts to flow into the models. This brings about new insights and ideas that would not emerge through traditional brainstorming exercises, and can be particularly effective for addressing complex business problems.
• Participants use storytelling to describe the meaning they have built into their models. This allows everyone to get their ideas on the table (quite literally), and raises group awareness of differences and similarities.
• As you see, touch and talk about the models, a shared understanding of individual roles and collective identity therefore develops, while the scope for conflict is reduced. This enables groups to work more collaboratively and fosters an environment where new ideas can emerge naturally .
• People tend to be more attached to something they have built with their own hands. By enabling participants to construct and bring together their models, that, the process can generate a deeper sense of commitment to personal and business goals.
• Simple guiding principles can be developed to guide behaviour in the face of uncertainty, so that the business can adapt continuously and respond in a way that is both appropriate and well aligned when the unexpected happens.
So whether you face a particularly complex business problem, a team building challenge, a strategic dilemma, or a creative block, adopting the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY approach could help you to unlock possible solutions.
And for those of you whose eyes didn't glaze up earlier, and who would like to know more about the scientific background check out the Science of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY, a brochure produced by LEGO, and which will open as a pdf file in a new window.