What is Lego Serious Play?
The power of playfulness at work!
What is LEGO® Serious Play®? This innovative coaching method was developed by LEGO in collaboration with IMD Business School in Lausanne. Discover how it makes complex topics discussable and actionable!
Magaly De Smet
Most of us would not immediately associate LEGO with a business context. Yet more and more organizations are using LEGO Serious Play workshops to address complex team challenges. How does it work? By literally building insight, collaboration, and communication.
Do you think LEGO is only for children? Then you have not yet discovered the power of playfulness and imagination in the workplace. LEGO Serious Play (LSP) is a powerful methodology that activates the collective creativity of teams and generates deep insights, connection, and action.
- What is LEGO Serious Play?
- More than just toys: the power of learning through play
- The (leadership) principles behind LEGO Serious Play
- The brain during LEGO Serious Play
What is Lego Serious Play?
LEGO Serious Play is an innovative method developed by LEGO in collaboration with IMD Business School in Lausanne. It is an interactive approach designed to stimulate creativity and problem-solving thinking in order to address organizational challenges. This coaching method is based on principles from systems thinking, neuroscience, strategy, and game design.
More than just toys: the power of learning through play!
LEGO Serious Play is a creative technique that connects the head with the heart. You learn to think with your hands and follow your intuition. During a team workshop, participants use LEGO bricks to build visual answers to thought-provoking questions. It requires both vision and emotional awareness. To build, you need to know where you want to go and adjust along the way when needed.
LEGO Serious Play is a powerful coaching method for leaders. Leadership is never a solo effort. By making ideas tangible, complex topics become discussable and actionable. Everyone on the team can participate in the conversation. This creates ownership and psychological safety, encouraging people to open up. As a result, organizations can tap into the collective knowledge and creativity of their teams and benefit from the power of diverse perspectives.
Creating a safe and open culture is not easy. You cannot open people up through PUSH or PULL. Only by opening yourself do you create trust for others to do the same. That is the power of Heart Centered Leaders! When you lead from the heart, you can look at situations calmly and neutrally. You gain the ability to step back, observe from a distance, and make more conscious decisions depending on the context.
Looking for an accessible yet profound team workshop? Discover LEGO Serious Play!
The (leadership) principles behind LEGO® Serious Play®
Leaders don’t have all the answers
The strength of organizations lies in their people. When you tap into the collective creativity of a group, new perspectives and ideas emerge, creating endless possibilities. This coaching method encourages leaders to open themselves up and give others the space to do the same.
Much knowledge and talent remain unused
When organizations fail to use the knowledge, creativity, and motivation of their teams, they waste one of their most valuable resources. A LEGO Serious Play team workshop helps people open up and express their strengths, insights, and ambitions.
People naturally want to contribute
Today, people are searching for ways to make an impact. They want to feel connected to a shared mission and be part of something bigger than themselves. Through this creative coaching method, participants are given the space to contribute and share their perspective on the situation with others.
Talking about a 3D construction makes ideas easier to express
Humans shape their own reality — an idea rooted in constructionism. We actively construct meaning based on our senses and brain processes. For example, we see green grass or a blue sky, while in reality colors are simply light waves reflected at certain frequencies.
By physically and mentally building models of ideas, we create a shared language that helps others understand them. This facilitates communication and collaboration within teams.
LEGO Serious Play generates creative flow
A shift in context creates a shift in thinking. People rediscover their playful side and learn to think creatively through action. They make new connections that previously seemed invisible, enabling out-of-the-box solutions.
The constructions lead to deeper understanding
At first glance, it may look like simple play, but the reasoning behind the constructions often leads to deeper insight into the context and the people involved. Through this coaching method, participants feel safer expressing emotions, allowing authentic identity and perspectives to emerge.
Stories and metaphors are more memorable
People rarely remember facts — they remember stories. Stories and metaphors are powerful because they make complex ideas understandable by linking them to familiar situations and emotions. They create shared meaning, help people step into each other’s perspectives, and increase engagement and connection with the message.
“Our team is not only multidisciplinary but also international, which often means searching for a common language. Talking about company values and norms is therefore quite a challenge. But introduce a box of LEGO bricks and engineers become nostalgic, ideas start flowing, hierarchy disappears, and creative solutions are imagined and built together. Nothing but positive feedback after a day of ‘work hard, play hard.’”
— Marijke Hillewaere, HR Director, Windvision
The brain during LEGO® Serious Play®
Our brain naturally prefers the path of least resistance. Unconsciously, we tend to look for the easiest solution. However, when facing complex challenges or difficult decisions, the easiest solution is not always the best one.
In general, we answer questions using the limbic part of the brain — the “library” where life experiences and knowledge are stored. When responding, we often rely on existing ideas or previously learned solutions.
During a LEGO Serious Play workshop, the opposite happens. While building, participants engage in something entirely new. This means there is no predefined thinking framework, creating more space for creativity and innovation. Because there is no ready-made answer, people naturally begin thinking outside the box.
Live measurements show that participants primarily activate the prefrontal cortex — the part of the brain responsible for creativity, complex thinking, and emotional integration. During LEGO Serious Play sessions, new neural connections are formed, unlocking fresh insights and perspectives that often lead to more innovative and effective solutions.
Book a LEGO Serious Play team workshop and let creativity flow within your team!
