The LEGO® Serious Play® Methodology

LEGO® Serious Play® is grounded in the idea that people think differently when they build, reflect and explain through metaphor. It draws on constructivist and constructionist ideas about learning, meaning-making and thinking through making.

No. LEGO® Serious Play® is a structured facilitation methodology. It is designed to help people think more deeply, express complex ideas, explore challenges, build shared understanding and make better sense of difficult issues.

One of the biggest strengths of LEGO® Serious Play® is that it gives everyone a voice. Instead of a few people dominating the discussion, each participant builds, shares and contributes. This creates broader participation, richer insight and stronger engagement.

Yes. A key benefit of the methodology is that it helps reduce hierarchy in the room and gives all participants an equal opportunity to contribute. This is one of the reasons it is so powerful in strategy, team development, leadership and education settings.

Sean McCusker’s research is particularly relevant here, showing how the method enables equality of voice within diverse groups (McCusker, 2020, International Journal of Research & Method in Education).

Yes. The LEGO® Serious Play® method has been explored in academic and professional literature in areas such as education, facilitation, management learning and group process. Research points to its value in supporting engagement, reflection, metaphorical thinking, shared understanding and equality of voice.

David Gauntlett’s work is especially helpful in explaining why building with objects can strengthen thinking, creativity and communication (Gauntlett, 2007, Creative Explorations, Routledge). The method’s academic origins trace to Johan Roos and Bart Victor at IMD (Roos & Victor, 1999, European Management Journal).

Published research points to several strengths of LEGO® Serious Play® in practice, including participation, reflection, metaphorical thinking and shared understanding. Sean McCusker’s research is particularly important because it highlights the methodology’s ability to support equality of voice within diverse groups (McCusker, 2020).

A 2023 paper on LEGO® Serious Play® in management education also reinforces its value as a participatory and co-creative approach to learning and discussion (Benešová, 2023, Cogent Education).

Yes. LEGO® Serious Play® has been used in management education, professional learning and collaborative group settings. Research and case-based work point to its value in helping people explore ideas, work with complexity and learn through active participation (Benešová, 2023).

Traditional discussions often favor the fastest thinkers, the loudest voices or the most senior people in the room. LEGO® Serious Play® slows thinking down, makes ideas visible, encourages reflection and helps people say what they really think.

Yes. The methodology is especially useful when the issues are complex, unclear or emotionally loaded. It helps participants explore ideas through metaphor, surface assumptions, and create deeper and more meaningful dialogue.

Yes. Because participants build, share and listen in a structured way, engagement tends to be much higher than in passive discussions. The methodology invites active contribution rather than observation.

Absolutely. Although it uses LEGO® bricks, the method is designed for adult learning, facilitation, strategy, leadership, innovation, team development and organizational conversations. Its strength lies in the quality of thinking and dialogue it enables.

The real value of LEGO® Serious Play® is not that it is fun. It is that it helps people think more clearly, express more honestly, listen more carefully and contribute more fully. That is what makes it such a powerful methodology for facilitation, learning and change.