Reimagining Organizational Change with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method
Organizations operate in a fast-evolving business context where change is constant. From leadership shifts to structural realignments, today’s organizational challenges demand more than traditional responses—they call for innovative solutions that unlock team potential.
This is where the LEGO® Serious Play® Method comes in. Designed in the late 1990s by Johan Roos and Bart Victor, this science-based process transforms change into an opportunity for strategic thinking, creative imagination, and collective intelligence.
Through building models using Lego bricks, teams co-create meaning, foster team collaboration, and build alignment around the future—with tangible models they can see, touch, and discuss.
Why Teams Struggle with Change
Organizational development often neglects the people inside it. Even the most well-designed strategies can fall short when teams experience:
- Disrupted team dynamics
- A lack of mutual understanding
- Misaligned expectations
- Fear of the unknown
Traditional concepts—like one-way communication or dense planning documents—fail to engage. Teams need a hands-on tool that sparks critical thinking and meaningful dialogue.
The LEGO® Serious Play® Method: A Powerful Tool for Transformation
This method is more than just a workshop—it’s a transformative process grounded in core principles like metaphor, storytelling, and equal participation. It replaces top-down directives with collaborative environments built around:
- 3D models and individual models that reflect both challenges and aspirations
- Creative thinking and abstract ideas expressed through physical bricks
- Metaphorical models that uncover emotional truths and untapped possibilities
- Interactive sessions that encourage honest exchange and participant engagement
The method ensures everyone—from team leaders to newer staff—has a voice and a role in shaping change.
Structuring an Organizational Change Workshop with LEGO® Serious Play®
A typical session follows a structured progression, balancing open creativity with a flexible framework that drives results.
Initial Skills-Building Exercises
Participants warm up with hands-on experience to practice storytelling, explore creative approaches, and become familiar with challenge questions and open-ended questions.
Building the Present
Teams construct models in response to prompts such as: “What does your team look like today?”
Imagining the Future
They then build the future state of their role, process, or business using abstract concepts and fresh ideas.
Identifying Obstacles
Through building challenges, teams reveal potential challenges blocking success—sometimes emotional, cultural, or structural.
Mapping Concrete Actions
Using insights gained, they build strategy development and action plans to turn vision into concrete actions.
Key Benefits of This LEGO® Serious Play® Approach
- Builds cohesive teams through shared experiences
- Enables effective communication and emotional expression
- Encourages team-centric dynamics and ownership
- Transforms abstract goals into practical tools
- Allows for fresh perspective and real-time solution discovery
Because the process is visual, physical, and symbolic, it makes complexity understandable and discussable.
Who Should Use The LEGO® Serious Play® Method?
Ideal for:
- Agile teams navigating product pivots or new markets
- People Business Partners managing cross-functional transitions
- Leadership development and career development programs
- Sales Development departments aligning messaging with market realities
- Digital product development teams mapping strategy and user needs
Whether the objective is business strategy, effective leadership, or ongoing success, this tool supports wide-ranging team alignment in a way few others can.
Why It Works: From Physical Models to Real Change with LEGO® Serious Play®
Unlike a planning meeting that ends in stale reports, LEGO® Serious Play®:
- Uses the power of metaphor to explore emotion-laden change
- Facilitates enhanced communication and effective dialogue
- Strengthens psychological safety by encouraging descriptive imagination
- Turns complex concepts into shared actionable strategies
The hands-on nature—brick by brick—leads to deeper insights, collective understanding, and the courage to take action.
LEGO® Serious Play®: A Tool for the Modern Operating Environment
Change today is layered. Organizations face a rollercoaster of innovation, tighter cycles, remote collaboration, and new demands on culture. The LEGO® Serious Play® Method embraces this through its adaptive design, aligning with:
- Agile principles and coaching consult methods
- Emotional intelligence and facilitation training needs
- The need for strategy development during intense transitions
- The push for culture of innovation and resilience
It becomes a must-have resource for facilitators, leaders, and coaches in a modern operating environment.
Conclusion: Let’s Build Change That Lasts
We’re often told to “manage change.” But what if we could design change—together?
With the LEGO® Serious Play® Method, teams engage in the art of product ownership and innovation through play, metaphor, and collaborative exploration. It brings clarity to chaos, helps people move from resistance to curiosity, and aligns teams on what really matters.
Let’s stop talking about change—and start building it.
FAQs
Is this method only useful in big companies?
No. It’s equally effective in startups, non-profits, or teams of 4–8 participants.
Can this be used in online meetings?
Yes. Virtual kits and digital facilitation allow for interactive sessions remotely.
Is there a downloadable session plan?
Yes. Reach out to get downloadable session plans designed for maximum impact.
What training do facilitators need?
We recommend facilitator training programs for those leading strategic or complex engagements.
Is this better than traditional approaches?
It’s not about “better”—it’s about more effective engagement. This method offers tools for exploration that traditional decks never will.
⚠️ Transition Notice
All services, workshops, and resources previously offered under Play4Business are now part of Serious Play Business. Visit us there to continue your journey with the LEGO® Serious Play® Method and explore expanded content and programs.
