Insights
The Hidden Gift
We use LEGO bricks to help create psychological safety, but the real breakthrough isn't about the toys. It's about externalization—shifting focus away from the person and onto something external they can use to tell their story.
Complete Guide to LEGO® Serious Play®: Transform Team Communication Through Hands-On Collaboration
At its core, LEGO® Serious Play harnesses the neurological connection between our hands and brain. When teams "think through their fingers," they activate neural pathways that remain dormant during conventional discussions, accessing knowledge and insights that might otherwise remain hidden. This scientifically-backed process helps externalize abstract concepts into tangible models that everyone can see, discuss, and understand.
LEGO® Serious Play® Emerges as a Game-Changer in Team Development
In the ever-evolving landscape of business innovation and team development, a surprising contender has emerged: LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP). Despite being nearly 25 years old, this method is gaining significant traction, particularly in the United States. Let's explore why this playful yet powerful approach is climbing the ranks in the Gartner Hype Cycle for Innovation Practices, 2024.
Top 5 Benefits of Using LEGO Serious Play for Team Building
1. Diminished Consciousness of Self 2. Inverted Persuasion 3. Equitable Expression 4. Curious Listening 5. Time Compression
How LEGO Serious Play is like Reese’s Pieces for Team Development
Some of the major challenges in group dynamics are the speed, pace, and focus of the individuals and group. This is why facilitated sessions are so valuable as they get people focused and paced similarly. For us at IN8 Create, we love using LEGO Serious Play as our primary method. Like Reese's Pieces, It breaks down the session into bite sized rewarding segments. I purposely use the term rewarding because for each challenge question, participants get to create a LEGO model and a story that's tied to it.
Amplify Team Connection in Record Time with LEGO Serious Play!
The ideal solution solves for these opposing forces - and results in high connection, low time - The upper right quadrant. This is where we come in. The reason our workshops and team building events can live in the upper right quadrant is the efficiency of communicating via metaphor. When people build their thoughts and ideas out of LEGO bricks, the model, as a metaphor, does MOST of the talking. Less talking > More Listening > More Understanding
Why LEGO Serious Play is Great for Team Building
By having teams build their thoughts about themselves (and the team) out of LEGO bricks, a few things occur.
The idea is externalized - making it much easier to talk about
The model holds much of the weight of the talking, so less words are needed
It's easy for others to understand the model via metaphor so less questions are needed.
ARE WE PLAYING ENOUGH AT WORK?
Discover the transformative effects of incorporating play into the workplace. Dive into the science-backed benefits of play, its characteristics, and actionable ways to seamlessly integrate it into the workday for enhanced productivity and well-being.