Introduction
Facilitation techniques have evolved to help teams and organizations solve complex problems, enhance collaboration, and drive innovation. One of the most effective methodologies is the LEGO® Serious Play® Method, known for its hands-on, creative approach to problem-solving and strategic planning. However, when combined with other established facilitation techniques, such as Design Thinking, Agile, and Systems Thinking, the LEGO Serious Play Method can become an even more powerful tool for leaders, teams, and businesses.
In this blog, we will explore how integrating LEGO® Serious Play® with other facilitation methods can enhance team communication, foster strategic thinking, and create meaningful outcomes in leadership development and business strategy.
The Theory Behind LEGO® Serious Play® and Facilitation Techniques
Facilitation techniques are grounded in several learning, cognitive, and problem-solving theories. The LEGO® Serious Play® Method, for instance, draws from Constructionist Learning Theory by Seymour Papert, emphasizing learning through active participation. Other facilitation techniques, such as Design Thinking and Agile, focus on iterative processes, adaptability, and creative problem-solving.
By combining multiple facilitation approaches, organizations can enhance leadership development, problem-solving skills, and strategic decision-making in a way that adapts to different challenges and organizational needs.
Additionally, the co-creation process and collaborative work environments fostered by LEGO® Serious Play® encourage individual participants to express abstract ideas through individual models, metaphorical models, and physical models. This methodology in action promotes a deeper understanding of business contexts and corporate culture while strengthening team dynamics.
Integrating LEGO Serious Play with Design Thinking
Design Thinking is a human-centered problem-solving framework that emphasizes empathy, ideation, prototyping, and testing. When combined with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method, it provides a structured yet creative approach to developing innovative solutions.
How They Work Together:
- Empathy Phase: Teams use metaphorical 3D models in LEGO® Serious Play® sessions to express challenges from a user’s perspective.
- Ideation Phase: The rapid, hands-on nature of LEGO Serious Play helps teams generate creative solutions quickly.
- Prototyping & Testing: Participants build physical models of proposed solutions and refine them through feedback and iteration.
The combination of LEGO® Serious Play® and Design Thinking helps businesses foster collaboration among participants and co-creation experiences while supporting a step-by-step design thinking process. The entire process builds a common understanding of complex ideas, creating a shared vision for business objectives.
Using LEGO® Serious Play® in Agile Facilitation
Agile frameworks, such as Scrum and Kanban, focus on adaptability, iterative development, and continuous improvement. While Agile methodologies are typically applied in software development, they have been widely adopted across multinational corporations for strategy development and leadership training.
Enhancing Agile with LEGO® Serious Play®:
- Sprint Planning & Retrospectives: Teams can build LEGO models to visualize challenges, blockers, and priorities.
- Team Alignment: The LEGO® Serious Play® Method fosters team communication, alignment, and collaboration, which are crucial in Agile environments.
- Problem-Solving Method: Agile teams can use LEGO® Serious Play® to explore business challenges, create adaptive strategies, and uncover innovative solutions.
This combination enables businesses to tackle complexity with confidence and develop innovative strategies for a culture of innovation. Additionally, incorporating LEGO® Serious Play® into Agile meetings improves job satisfaction and fosters a growth mindset.
Combining LEGO® Serious Play® with Systems Thinking
Systems Thinking focuses on understanding how individual elements within an organization interact as part of a larger system. It is a crucial approach in business strategy, organizational development, and leadership coaching.
How LEGO® Serious Play® Enhances Systems Thinking:
- Visualizing Complex Systems: Teams use LEGO models to map out system components and relationships.
- Addressing Organizational Challenges: Teams can create models in response to real-world problems, uncovering hidden dynamics and patterns.
- Strategic Planning: Organizations can explore different business models, leadership styles, and strategic foresight through interactive LEGO Serious Play sessions.
By engaging in this learning process, participants develop professional facilitation skills and build soft skills like critical thinking and psychological safety.
Practical Applications of Combining LEGO® Serious Play® with Other Facilitation Methods
- Leadership Development & Team Building
- Facilitators can integrate LEGO Serious Play with Coaching Training and Organization Development workshops.
- Helps executives refine their beliefs about leadership and leadership styles through hands-on engagement.
- Encourages team cohesion and team engagement by creating collaborative environments for innovation.
- Business Strategy & Innovation
- Teams can use LEGO Serious Play alongside Business Ethics Discussions, Boardroom Whiteboard Sessions, and Strategy Development meetings.
- Encourages teams to adopt adaptive strategies and challenge traditional methods.
- Helps business people at all levels navigate management theory and project management.
- Conflict Resolution & Change Management
- A creative approach that helps teams tackle barriers to participation and align around shared goals.
- By sharing models and conducting reflection sessions, teams gain key insights and measurable outcomes.
- Cultural Transformation & Organizational Growth
- Facilitators use LEGO Serious Play to support cultural transformation, career planning, and professional skills development.
- Builds a stronger sense of unity and authentic connections within organizations.
Final Thoughts: The Future of Facilitation with LEGO® Serious Play®
Combining the LEGO® Serious Play® Method with Design Thinking, Agile, and Systems Thinking can transform how organizations approach problem-solving, leadership training, and business strategy. By leveraging multiple facilitation techniques, businesses can unlock deep learning, meaningful insights, and measurable outcomes.
For companies looking to integrate LEGO® Serious Play® with advanced facilitation techniques, this approach is a valuable asset in leadership and innovation development.
