Facilitation through
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
What is LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®?
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is a facilitated methodology that uses LEGO® as a tool for group communication, problem-solving, and innovation. Developed by the LEGO Group, it is based on the idea that everyone can contribute to the conversation, and that by building and sharing models with others, individuals can better understand complex ideas and concepts.
The process involves a trained facilitator leading a group of individuals through a series of exercises and discussions, where they use LEGO® bricks to represent abstract ideas and concepts. These models are then shared and discussed with the group, allowing for the exploration of different perspectives and the development of a shared understanding.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® has been used in a variety of settings, from team building and leadership development to innovation and strategy planning. It is particularly effective in situations where traditional methods of communication and problem-solving may not be effective, such as in complex or ambiguous situations where there is no clear right or wrong answer.
The LEGO® Brick
When you hear the word LEGO® thoughts often turn to the humble 2x4 brick. However, there are almost 4,000 different LEGO® elements that are currently in production. This provides an almost infinite number of possibilities when it comes to putting them together. If fact, just six 2x4 LEGO® bricks can be combined in 915,103,765 ways.
Although the classic use of LEGO® is to build models within a tangible world, the bricks in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® are used to build stories about the intangible world. The bricks, and the models that they form, become metaphors that can be joined together to create a landscape that tells the story.
Each LEGO® piece used could have a meaning depending its type, size, colour and/or location. It is through the discussions that take place that those meanings are understood and shared.
Ice Breakers and Introduction to LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
At the beginning of a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® session, it is important to understand and get a feeling for the bricks that you will be using.
Whether you are asked to build a tower, or 'What the Duck?', we help participants understand the value that comes from using LEGO® as part of a wider team or organisational activity.
Understanding Processes and Polices using the LEGO® Flow Game
The LEGO® Flow Game was developed by Karl Scotland and Dr Sallyann Freudenberg as a fun exercise to compare and contrast different approaches to processes, with respect to how work flows through a system.
We have used the LEGO® Flow Game under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License with teams to introduce the concepts to Kanban and Scrum, as well as understanding team processes and polices.
Read about how we tweaked the game to build animals for a LEGO® zoo here.
Scrum Simulation
While the LEGO® Flow Game can be used help teams to understand the processes and policies that they follow, it is also possible to run a Scrum simulation for single or multiple teams.
The Scrum simulations allows you to consider, discuss and practice the implementation of Scrum Roles, Scrum Events and Scrum Artefacts, along with other agile ways of working. These include, but are not limited to:-
- Writing user stories
- Sizing user stories
- Prioritisation methods
- Forecasting
- Metrics
- Definition of Ready, Defintion of Done and Working Agreements
LEGO® and LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® are trademarks of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorise or endorse this web site.