Do you ever feel like team meetings and product design resemble a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing? Miscommunication, mismatched ideas, endless brainstorming sessions, and unclear goals often leave teams spinning their wheels. What if the solution lies in something that was once a childhood favourite?
Enter LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP)—a revolutionary tool that transforms scattered ideas into masterpieces of creativity, collaboration, and clarity. Since people retain information better when engaged in hands-on activities, it’s no surprise that organisations worldwide are using LEGO® bricks to spark innovation and tackle complex challenges. And no, before you ask, we don’t own stock in LEGO® or get a commission every time someone buys a set—we just genuinely believe in the magic of turning tiny plastic bricks into big ideas.
In this blog, we explore how this methodology works, its origins, and its effectiveness in enhancing creativity and problem-solving, supported by real-life examples of its positive impact on teams. Ready to think with your hands?
What is LEGO® Serious Play® and why does it matter?
LEGO® Serious Play® goes far beyond stacking blocks. Rooted in both creativity and psychology, this innovative methodology was developed in the late 1990s by the LEGO® Group in collaboration with business consultants and academics Johan Roos and Bart Victor. It was originally created to address internal challenges during a time of intense competition and foster strategic thinking and innovation within teams.
Grounded in research on constructivism and hands-on learning, LSP capitalises on the concept of “thinking with your hands” to unlock deeper levels of insight and creativity. It’s also influenced by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory—a mental state of focused immersion that boosts productivity and innovation.
Key elements of LEGO® Serious Play®:
- Tangible thinking: transforming abstract ideas into tangible models helps participants understand and communicate complex concepts.
- Collaborative storytelling: each model represents a narrative that fosters understanding, empathy, and alignment among participants.
- Memory magic: hands-on activities enhance retention and encourage participants to apply insights in real-world scenarios.
These elements have significantly transformed LEGO® as a company. So, it’s no surprise that what began as a tool for internal strategy has evolved into a globally recognised approach embraced by organisations seeking innovative solutions and stronger team dynamics. They quickly realised its power to spark creativity and tackle complex issues. Now let’s dive deeper into these benefits.
How LEGO® Serious Play® enhances creativity and problem solving
As we’ve mentioned, by engaging participants in hands-on, minds-on activities, LSP offers unique benefits that drive innovative thinking and problem-solving. Here’s what makes it so impactful:
- Encouraging right-brain thinking: LSP taps into the brain’s creative side, where imagination and emotional processing thrive. By using hands to build, participants move beyond overthinking and unlock innovative solutions.
- Making the abstract tangible: models built with LEGO® bricks transform abstract problems into visible, shareable representations. Teams can visualise challenges, identify gaps, and refine strategies with greater clarity.
- Strengthening collaboration through play: LEGO® Serious Play® creates a safe, playful environment where all ideas are valued. Sharing the stories behind the models encourages active listening, empathy, and co-creation of solutions.
Speaking of making the abstract tangible, in the next section, we share real-life examples from our hands-on work with companies, where we applied LEGO® Serious Play® to help overcome challenges and drive impactful results.
Real-life success: LEGO® Serious Play® in action
When one company we worked with faced challenges in clarifying departmental roles and improving communication, LEGO® Serious Play® proved to be a creative and effective solution. Here’s how the workshop addressed their issues:
- Design your departmental issue: teams built LEGO® models representing their department’s unique challenges, creating a shared visual platform for open dialogue. These models sparked meaningful conversations and promoted cross-departmental understanding, enabling teams to tackle obstacles collaboratively.
- Design your job: participants constructed models symbolising their individual roles and contributions. This exercise fostered a deeper appreciation of how each person’s responsibilities fit into the larger structure, strengthening alignment and clarity within the team.
- Understanding agile processes: agile principles came to life through iterative model-building, with teams creating representations of a scrum framework‘s key stages. This activity helped participants better grasp agile methodologies and how they could enhance collaboration and efficiency.
In another session, the focus was on merging two teams struggling to align. They built LEGO® models to visualise departmental goals and roles, while individuals added their own personal LEGO® pieces to highlight their unique contributions to the bigger picture. The outcomes included improved communication, stronger interpersonal bonds, and actionable strategies for collaboration.
These examples demonstrate how workshops are customised to address specific organisational needs and questions. By discussing with teams to define key issues and objectives, we design tailored exercises that tackle challenges and achieve targeted outcomes for the session. The process begins with asking: ‘what do we want to achieve? What should the result look like?’.
Additionally, LSP can be used to prototype products. Sometimes, developing or adapting a new product can be challenging. You might have tried several brainstorming sessions with post-it notes but still haven’t landed on a solid idea. That’s when LEGO® can help engage everyone to design their ideal product, bringing fresh ways of thinking to the table. This method not only provides a better visualisation of the final product (even in LEGO® form) but also helps align everyone on the concept without relying on paper and scissors.
These real-world applications demonstrate the versatility of LEGO® Serious Play®, translating abstract problems into concrete, actionable solutions through creativity and teamwork. To fully harness the benefits of LSP, however, effective implementation is key. Don’t worry, though—we’ve got practical tips to help you succeed.
Tips for applying LEGOs successfully in your organisation
To maximise the benefits of LEGO® Serious Play®, it’s essential to adopt the appropriate mindset and adequately prepare. Below are some crucial tips for effectively implementing this methodology, ensuring it delivers valuable outcomes for your organisation.
- Have confidence: bringing LEGO® into the workplace may feel unconventional. When walking around with a box full of colourful bricks, colleagues might jokingly ask if they are for your kids. However, embrace the playfulness—it’s a powerful tool for innovation and team building.
- Design exercises with clear objectives: every activity should have a clear goal or purpose behind it, whether it’s improving your product, aligning your team on a common goal, or understanding a new regulation.
- Ensure you have enough pieces: a good starting point is a set of at least 500 pieces, including a mix of bricks, minifigures (at least five), and two base plates. Having a variety of elements allows for greater creativity and flexibility during the session.
Conclusion: why consider LEGO® Serious Play® for your team?
For teams aiming to enhance dynamics, foster creativity, or solve complex challenges, LEGO® Serious Play® offers a unique and powerful approach. Its applications range from strategic planning to team building and process innovation. By engaging in hands-on, minds-on activities, teams can unlock new perspectives, improve communication, and foster a collaborative environment where all ideas are valued.
LSP not only helps visualise and address abstract problems but also encourages active participation and empathy among team members. This methodology transforms traditional meetings into interactive sessions that drive meaningful outcomes and actionable strategies.
Moreover, the playful nature of LEGO® bricks can break down barriers and create a more relaxed atmosphere, making it easier for team members to express their thoughts and ideas. This can lead to more innovative solutions and a stronger sense of ownership and commitment to the outcomes.
To conclude, incorporating LEGO® Serious Play® into your team’s toolkit can lead to a more engaged, creative, and cohesive team, ready to tackle any challenge with confidence and enthusiasm. So, are you ready to transform challenges into opportunities—one brick at a time? If your answer is a resounding yes (and we hope it is), let Annabelle show you how LEGO® Serious Play® can bring creativity, clarity, and collaboration to your next workshop or meeting.
What we think
LEGO® Serious Play® isn’t just about playing with bricks; it’s about building understanding, trust, and innovation. By transforming abstract challenges into tangible models, teams unlock new perspectives and collaborate in ways they never thought possible.