LEGO® Serious Play®, the method supporting business development and decision-making, has been around for over 20 years! The idea emerged from the collaboration between researchers and management specialists.
Although the use of LEGO® bricks in business may seem like a recent concept, the LEGO Serious Play method was developed in the late 1990s. It was a response to the growing need for creativity, innovation, and effective management in organizations. Even then, companies began to realize that traditional management and moderation methods, such as standard brainstorming sessions or meetings, could be limiting and not always yield desired results.
The early days of the method
LEGO Serious Play method was created by two researchers from IMD in Switzerland, Johan Roos and Bart Victor, along with the owner of the LEGO Group, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen1. Johan Roos was an expert in management, and Bart Victor specialized in strategy and organization. The creators of the method leveraged their years of experience and broad knowledge in psychology, management, and organizational development. Combining these fields helped them create an innovative technique that could stimulate creativity and extract knowledge from participants.
The philosophy of LEGO Serious Play has always been based on the belief that each participant possesses knowledge and creativity that can be harnessed for problem-solving and decision-making. LEGO bricks are merely tools that allow the expression of thoughts and aid in building metaphorical models representing participants’ ideas, and spark discussions.
The Evolution of LSP
The LEGO Serious Play method was officially introduced to the market in 2002. After many years of development and testing, LEGO began offering LEGO Serious Play sessions to companies and organizations worldwide. Eight years later, in 2010, the LEGO Group released the LSP method under a Creative Commons license in a community-based model. The method continues to evolve thanks to the contributions of numerous practitioners, trainers, and consultants who introduce their own innovations and adapt it to various business contexts.
