LEGO® Serious Play® is a method that is gaining increasing popularity as a tool to support creativity, innovation, and problem-solving in various contexts such as business, education, or personal development. LSP workshops are dynamic and interactive sessions that engage participants in creative work using LEGO® bricks. Let’s take a closer look at how a LEGO Serious Play workshop typically unfolds and what stages make up this inspiring journey into the world of creativity.
Introduction
The workshop usually begins with a brief introduction to the LEGO Serious Play methodology. The facilitator, who leads the session, explains the principles and assumptions of this method, highlighting why it is so effective in generating innovative solutions and fostering creativity. Participants learn about the main goals of the workshop and the benefits they can gain from participating in the session.
Group work
LEGO Serious Play workshops often, and typically, take place in groups. Collaboration is key to the effectiveness of this method. The role of the facilitator(s) is to encourage participants to build models together and share their ideas. Group work fosters the exchange of perspectives and the generation of new ideas.
Problem-solving and finding solutions
LEGO Serious Play workshops focus on problem-solving and seeking new solutions. Participants have the opportunity to work on specific challenges related to their company, team, or project. Building models that represent these problems helps in analyzing them and generating new perspectives, which can lead to valuable solutions.
Depending on the workshop’s objective, the theme may be predefined or not. If it is an internal company meeting, it might focus on solving a particular concern, creating prototypes for new products or services, or fostering team integration.
Building metaphorical models
A key element of the LEGO Serious Play workshop is the hands-on work with LEGO bricks. Participants receive a set of bricks to build structures that represent various ideas, challenges, or goals. The models created during the workshop are treated as metaphorical representations of thoughts and emotions.
Storytelling and sharing reflection
Once the constructions are built, participants have the opportunity to uncover the story hidden behind their model. Storytelling plays a crucial role in LEGO Serious Play workshops because it allows for a deeper understanding of the thoughts and emotions experienced by participants. After the storytelling part, there is a collective reflection where everyone shares their observations and insights.
Conclusion
The workshop concludes with a summary, during which the facilitator highlights the main takeaways and lessons learned from the session. Participants are encouraged to apply their workshop experiences to their daily work, using the new perspectives and ideas in their projects and activities.
