Lego Serious Play

LEGO Serious Play

From tangible modelling to systemic solutions — when the organisation's language must be three-dimensional.

Problem

In strategic deliberations, crucial assumptions remain implicit. Members hold different mental models but do not articulate divergence until after decisions are made. Dominant speakers set the frame; reflective participants withhold perspective. When organisations launch digital tools, gaps between user needs and design assumptions often surface only after implementation.

What I do

I employ LEGO® Serious Play® to surface and synthesise tacit knowledge before decisions are documented. Building forces concreteness: “excellent teamwork” becomes architectural specificity — how people actually coordinate. When all participants build simultaneously, all speak. Quieter voices signal perspectives that otherwise remain silent.

Typical formats

  • Half-day taster (introduction + one strategic question)
  • One- to two-day facilitated session for a leadership team
  • Multi-day system modelling for complex, multi-stakeholder problems

Who this is for

Leadership teams, product owners, and multi-stakeholder groups where crucial knowledge is tacit or dominant voices skew the room.

The session process

  1. 01 Practice — build simple models, learn metaphor and story
  2. 02 Task — the facilitator sets a building task
  3. 03 Building — everyone builds their response individually
  4. 04 Story-telling — each explains their model
  5. 05 Refining — the story is refined into a sharper question
  6. 06 Modelling — build a holistic model with all stakeholders
  7. 07 Analysing — draw connections to find the roots
  8. 08 Playing — play through future scenarios
  9. 09 Concluding — agree principles of action

LEGO Serious Play is a structured and fun tool for communications