LEGO® Serious Play® Method for Strategic Foresight and Scenario Planning

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, organizations must anticipate future challenges and develop strategies to navigate uncertainty effectively. The LEGO® Serious Play® approach offers a unique and innovative approach to strategic foresight and scenario planning, enabling teams to visualize complex scenarios and co-create robust strategies while fostering team cohesion, collective intelligence, and exploring alternative futures. Moreover, it is also an effective collaboration tool for navigating complex challenges. Therefore, adopting this approach can help businesses stay ahead of uncertainty.

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What is the LEGO® Serious Play® Method?

Developed in the late 1990s, the LEGO® Serious Play® process is a facilitated meeting, communication, and problem-solving method in which participants use LEGO bricks to build models representing their ideas, thoughts, and reflections. Consequently, this hands-on, minds-on approach encourages creative thinking and ensures that every participant contributes to the discussion, leading to deeper understanding of potential challenges and alternative perspectives.

Furthermore, the LEGO® Serious Play® process is based on the idea that constructing models helps individuals and teams articulate and explore their thoughts in new and meaningful ways. Additionally, it fosters collaborative intelligence, making it an ideal approach to workshops that require a safe space for braver conversations and difficult conversations.

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The Science Behind the LEGO® Serious Play® Method

The LEGO® Serious Play® strategy is grounded in several key theories:

• Constructivism and Constructionism: These theories suggest that knowledge is constructed through experience, and that learning is most effective when individuals are actively involved in creating tangible objects. As a result, it provides an excellent interactive learning environment.
• Complex Adaptive Systems: Organizations are viewed as complex systems that adapt and evolve in response to changing environments. Therefore, the LEGO® Serious Play® process facilitates exploration of these dynamics by allowing participants to model and simulate potential challenges, aiding in sustainable development initiatives.
• Metaphorical Thinking: Building models with LEGO bricks enables participants to use metaphors, making abstract concepts more concrete and understandable. In addition, it helps with cross-pollinating ideas across disciplines, leading to the development of product ideas.

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How the LEGO® Serious Play® Method Enhances Strategic Foresight

Strategic foresight involves systematically exploring desirable futures to inform decision-making. The LEGO® Serious Play® approach enhances this process through the following ways:

1. Visualizing Future Scenarios: Participants build models representing different future states, which makes it easier to comprehend and discuss future scenarios and developed short-term visions. Consequently, this approach enables teams to prepare for potential challenges before they arise.
2. Identifying Driving Forces: Through model-building, teams can identify and analyze key factors influencing their organization’s future, incorporating technological aspects and sustainable development strategies. Therefore, businesses can make data-driven decisions.
3. Enhancing Collaboration: Additionally, the LEGO® Serious Play® process ensures that all voices are heard, fostering a collaborative environment essential for comprehensive strategic planning and cross-functional teams.

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The Role of Scenario Planning in Business Strategy

Scenario planning involves creating and analyzing multiple plausible future scenarios to develop flexible strategies. The LEGO® Serious Play® strategy contributes to this by:

• Encouraging Divergent Thinking: Participants explore a wide range of alternative perspectives without judgment. As a result, this leads to more innovative development projects and an improved design structure matrix.
• Building Shared Understanding: Collaborative model-building ensures that all team members have a common understanding of potential futures and strategic options, particularly in large-scale business models and business operators responsible for long-term initiatives. Consequently, this fosters holistic decision-making.
• Facilitating Rapid Prototyping: Moreover, teams can quickly build and modify models to reflect new insights, making the scenario planning process an iterative process rather than a one-off workshop.

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Case Studies: LEGO® Serious Play® in Action

Organizations across various sectors have successfully applied the LEGO® Serious Play® process for strategic foresight and scenario planning. For example:

• Corporate Strategy Development: Companies have used the LEGO® Serious Play® process to explore market trends and develop strategies that are resilient to future uncertainties, aligning with business goals, development processes, and government measures. Consequently, this allows them to remain competitive in evolving markets.
• Urban Planning: Similarly, city planners have employed the LEGO® Serious Play® process to engage stakeholders in envisioning future urban developments and infrastructure projects, helping municipalities establish knowledge of socio-cultural, institutional, organizational, and technological aspects.
• Education: Educational institutions have utilized the LEGO® Serious Play® process to anticipate future challenges in the sector and adapt their curricula accordingly, creating an interactive workshop format suitable for online workshops and traditional workshops.
• Crafts Businesses: Likewise, crafts business owners have begun integrating the LEGO® Serious Play® process into their strategic planning, enabling better product design and innovation.

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Key Takeaways from the LEGO® Serious Play® Method

The LEGO® Serious Play® strategy provides organizations with a powerful tool to:

• Enhance team cohesion and cross-functional teams collaboration.
• Explore potential challenges in a safe space for braver conversations and difficult conversations.
• Develop strategic solutions in an interactive learning environment. Additionally, this method enhances employee experience and fosters a holistic perspective.
• Improve Customer Experience through valuable insights and strategic foresight.

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FAQs

1. What is the LEGO® Serious Play® process?The LEGO® Serious Play® strategy is a facilitated meeting, communication, and problem-solving method where participants use LEGO bricks to build models representing their ideas and reflections.
2. How does the LEGO® Serious Play® process enhance strategic foresight?The LEGO® Serious Play® strategy enables teams to visualize complex future scenarios, identify driving forces, and collaboratively explore alternative futures, enhancing strategic foresight.
3. Can the LEGO® Serious Play® process be applied to any industry?Yes, the LEGO® Serious Play® process is versatile and has been successfully applied across various sectors, including corporate strategy, urban planning, Latin America, education, crafts businesses, and business operators responsible for development projects.

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