What is LSP & How does it work?
LEGO SERIOUS PLAY (aka LSP) is one of the most thought-provoking tools for business: from leading innovation to accelerated change, building strategic agility for a fast-moving world, fostering diversity, exploring organizational identity to building passionate, 100% engaged teams.
As a collaborative leadership tool with no predefined content – every project is tailor-made.
Still a novelty on the Romanian market, LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is a very mature business tool, with a proven track-record worldwide.
- Creating lean-in meetings – Instead of being absent-minded and leaning-back, participants get to be active and contribute 100%
- Unlocking new knowledge, thanks to: 1) hands-brain connection, 2) activation of both sides of the brain, 3) accessing the unconscious mind, 4) thinking in 3D, and 5) 360º view
- Getting into the psychological flow state (optimal experience) – participants are are fully immersed in their work, driven by energized focus and enjoyment
- Breaking habitual thinking – participants think differently and see new patterns that lead to surprising solutions
- Emerging 100% engagement & commitment – a shift from “a sit-back-and-be-told“ culture to a “making-and-doing“ culture
- Building cognitive-emotional alignment – both on individual and group level, resulting in a positive course of action
- Tapping into the human ability to imagine, describe and make sense of a situation, to initiate change or to create something new
- Using the collective intelligence in the room to discover solutions to complex problems, efficient decision-making and understanding complex adaptive systems with emergent properties (the VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous – world we all do business in)
The method serves as a business accelerator or a catalyst for business operations.
It functions as an antifragility mechanism, where decision-making under uncertainty gains risk protection, thereby diminishing the role of luck in the equation of a successful venture.
This method fosters robust businesses, that grow stronger following simulated shocks/adversities in a safe environment. It prompts the exploration of improbable events – black swan events – and their significant impacts – positive or negative – on a business. An invaluable tool in a world where success hinges on our agility to navigate a volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) business landscape.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is built on the premise of engaging both hemispheres of the brain, alongside involving the hands in a creative endeavor that unlocks hidden resources — both at an individual and collective level. This process leads to a clearer understanding of the topic at hand.
The method entails stepping out of one’s comfort zone repeatedly and simultaneously, broadening the comfort zone, facilitated by getting into a psychological state of flow – marked by inspiration, exceptional mental concentration, and a fervent passion for the task at hand.
Serious Play is not an oxymoron. It may look like one, but it’s not.
It’s „a galaxy far, far away” from a paradoxical association of words 😊
When you look closer, you realize that LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is PLAY with a PURPOSE:
SERIOUS PLAY is:
1) an intentional gathering to apply the imagination,
2) exploring and preparing, not implementing,
3) following a specific set of rules or language.
PLAY is about the PROCESS.
SERIOUS is about RESULTS.
• Participants engage in Serious Play to:
1) learn,
2) generate options,
3) develop new understandings together.
• Participants make easier decisions, focus on a new customer segment, work with different partners or decide what steps to take forward.
• Serious Play is about understanding complex, adaptive systems by observing how they respond to events – hence the value of 3D simulations using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®.
LEGO SERIOUS PLAY IN BOARDROOMS
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® was born out of a crisis response. The origin of this innovative method for addressing complex organizational problems traces back to 1996, when the LEGO Group was grappling with a significant drop in market share – at a time when technological advances were propelling the rise of video games.
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen, the CEO and owner of the company back then, felt discontented with the results of strategy meetings. While the core of the LEGO business revolved around creativity, the approach to formulating new market strategies for the group was – ironically – lacking creativity.
At the same time, Professors Victor Bart and Johan Roos at IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland, were exploring innovative approaches to crafting business strategies. They teamed up with LEGO, driven by these shared beliefs:
- The real driver of an organization’s success is its people – who are both capable and eager to contribute to their organization’s triumph;
- Strategy should be an experience, not just words on a static document.
In the coming years, the LEGO Group established a new venture – Executive Discovery. This initiative enabled the professors to further their business world research, innovatively using LEGO® bricks instead of the conventional tools like post-it notes, whiteboards, and scribbles. However, it soon became clear that LEGO® bricks alone weren’t enough. Despite fostering a positive atmosphere, strategic insights were not emerging as expected.
This challenge called for the expertise of @Robert Rasmussen, Director of LEGO Education, and @Per Kristiansen, Executive Director at Executive Discovery. Their collaboration led to the development of a method that could deliver tangible results in the business realm.
In 2001, the process became viable, recognized as a method of thinking, communicating, and solving complex problems in groups through 3D dynamic simulations in real-time.
Following several successful developments, the method has evolved to its present form – garnering substantial acclaim, particularly in the Americas, Asia, and Europe.
What is it so special about LEGO® bricks to bring them into the boardroom, one might ask?
How is it they became a medium used by some of the most successful organizations in the world to build business strategies?
LEGO® is, of course, a children’s toy. Or better yet, LEGO® bricks and elements are the building blocks with which children – and adults, why not?! – build toys.
But LEGO® bricks are also the building blocks of our thoughts.
So, LEGOs are much more than a mere toy.
But are they useful in a business environment?
At first glance, one might not think so – after all, how deep and profound could a little plastic building block be?
It turns out that the answer is “very”! 😊
When we—as adults—play with LEGOs, we tend to reflect a lot!
We ask questions and imagine the answers using LEGO® bricks as an insightful 3D medium.
We envision what is not there yet – in response to complex business challenges, such as building business strategies or innovative products.
This is how LEGO® bricks got to be involved into business trainings (aka LEGO SERIOUS PLAY workshops) engaging executive teams, but also people at different hierarchical and expertize levels (depending on the topic of the workshop).
So, you see, no reason for the LEGO brick to leave boardrooms! 😊
The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method – relatively new on the Romanian market – has been successfully used for almost 2.5 decades by many internationally renowned companies. Among the organizations that have achieved notable results using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, examples include:
- NASA (Science)
- UNICEF (Child Protection)
- MIT Media Labs, IMD Business School (Education)
- Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Orange, Vodafone, Oracle, Fujitsu, Swisscom, Texas Instruments (IT & Telecom)
- World Bank, Unicredit Bank, Master Card (Banking)
- Toyota, Nissan Motors, Ferrari, Honeywell, Mercedes Benz, Airbus (Automotive)
- Pfizer, Roche, Novo Nordisk, BASF (Pharma/Chemicals)
- Bosch, Siemens (Technology/Appliances)
- FedEx (Courier Services)
- Hilton (Hospitality)
- SAB Miller, Coca-Cola, P&G, Unilever (FMCG – Fast Moving Consumer Goods)
In all LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®-based workshops, play is the catalyst.
It’s that key ingredient that opens the minds and hearts – leading participants to astonishing discoveries.
The genius of play lies in facilitating new cognitive combinations in the realm of imagination – therefore allowing us to uncover what really works in the real-world.
WORKSHOP LOGISTICS
While during coaching sessions, we can use the method with individuals (1:1 sessions), during workshops we make the best of the collective intelligence in the room and emerging team dynamics.
So, the minimum number of participants is reccommended at 5-6, to allow for collaborative solutions to emerge.
Usualy a small group is up to 8-10 participants, working with one facilitator.
The maximum number of participants depends on the available space & budgetary constraints.
The more participants, the more LEGO bricks and more facilitators are needed.
One facilitator usually works with up to 10-12 people. The ideal ratio is 8-10 participants/1 facilitator.
For larger groups, we employ as many facilitators are needed for best results – depending on the duration & objectives of the program.
Usually, small groups (8-12 people) go into deep dives – designed for complex problem solving.
If the case, larger groups (15-1.000) can be splitted into smaller groups, to dig deeper into the subject matter area. But this means having a designated facilitator for every small group. Or, at least, a group leader.
Shorter (1/2 day) workshops can be organized with large groups, but less facilitators – usually for team building purposes or during LSP introductory sessions.
As a rule of thumb, the number of participants and facilitators is to be discussed during the client needs assessment meeting – every organisation and team has different needs and goals. To make sure we meet them, we will conduct a thorough 3D interviewing.
Compared to other experiential organizational development interventions, workshops where we use LEGO bricks and the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY Method need more space.
We need additional space to place the tables for the LEGO kits that participants will be working with. One way to work around this, is to use round/rectangular tables for each group – where each smaller group has its own bricks at the table.
We also need room for people to move around the bricks during the session – as bricks provide a significant inspiration during the exploration.
And we need space so that the smaller groups in the room to be more distanced one from another.
This happens for 2 reasons:
- decrease the background noise that participants may experience during smaller groups simultaneous sharing. When sharing is made in plenum of the larger group, this is not the case.
- privacy reasons to the smaller working groups – hence, tables will be arranged at a significant distance from one another.
During LSP-based workshops, we use multiple tables – both for bricks, and for people (to have a dedicated space for building their LEGO models).
So, usually, the ideal rooms setup is banquet style.
Even if we don’t have banquet round tables, square or rectangular tables will do. This way, LEGO kits can have their own dedicated space.
Imagine a generous, multiple course, Bricks buffet – where people can help themselves with whatever catches their eyes from the menu!
How does it sound?
Trust me, it’s quite impressive!
In a nutshell, the answer is: it depends!
It depends on various factors, among which:
- objectives of the sessions
- number of participants
- number of facilitators
Usually, shorter interventions vary from 1 hour (demo sessions) to 4 hours (introductory sessions).
While the short sessions do credit to LSP, they don’t do justice to the method.
The true power of LSP emerges during longer sessions (1-2 days), where participants get to experience not only individual models (1 hour) and shared models (3-4 hours), but also get to see the entire subject matter (e.g. team/business etc) landscape and the entire ecosystem (with stress-tested interconnections) – when playing emergence and making decisions.
Definitely in-person, for best results!
Whenever in-person is not possible, remote/online sessions might be a good fit for short explorations based on LSP.
While during in-person sessions – spanning from 1/2 day to 1 day or even 2 days – we get to experience truly working as a team/group, during online sessions, the interactions are limited to building individual models and listening to one another while sharing our thoughts. So, during online sessions, participants get to experience just the tip of the iceberg called LSP.
Basically, we do not reccommend more than individual models for remote/online sessions.
Why is that?
Because building shared models is an artifically created process, to allow for online collaboration, but it doesn’t really get the expected results.
While during the in-person workshops, participants get to spontaneously negotiate and work together on their shared model – according to emerging feelings, as they build along – during the mediated process of creating online shared models, each participant needs to wait for its turn and the interaction is missing.
Objects play (LEGO models) and metaphorical language is your unconscious mind doing the talking – getting to the surface of your mind and uncovering unexpected answers to a specific problem.
When trying to create shared models in the online environment, we lose:
- spontaneity,
- real collaboration,
- listening to the collective intelligence in the room
- the power of our unconscious minds.
So, we only get poor results. We push for group/team alignment and post-rationalize what we individually consider the best approach/course of action.
So, should you give online shared models a try?
I wouldn’t go there… It’s just throwing good money around – hoping for the best, but planning for the worst. And your business and your team can do & deserve much more… So, do give a try to in-person workshops – they are totally worth your time, your money, and your energy!
A-has and Wows are important, but so is bricks saftey.
Before every workshop, the bricks are put into laundry bags and sanitized in our washer using a vinegar solution.
The vinegar disinfects, deodorizes and degreases the bricks, without leaving toxic residue.
The bags hang dry inside our garage before ending up on your workshop building tables.
This is how we keep a fresh waterfall of clean bricks for your participants to be inspired by and mesmerized with.
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