Practices
From Playroom to Boardroom:
The Power of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® in Business
Today’s super dynamic business landscape is full of unpredictable challenges and blink-and-they’re-gone opportunities. In this new environment, approaches that foster strategic alignment and imaginative problem-solving – in the midst of ambiguity and uncertainty – are essential.
That’s why, at Sylver Consulting, we turn to LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) — a methodology that helps teams to:
How does LSP help to yield these benefits? Read on…
Think Beyond the Obvious
When people hear “LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®,” they’re usually surprised:
“Wait, LEGO®? For strategy? For real??”
Simply put, here’s why:
LEGO® building materials are superb tools for 3D visualization and developing coherent and motivating strategy narratives.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is far from child’s play — it's a technique that brings ideas to life in a way that regular strategy sessions just can’t begin to match. Through hands-on building, teams turn abstract ideas into tangible, 3D models that make even the most complex challenges easier to understand and thus easier to solve.
Bring Clarity to Complexity
In business, strategies and organizational structures can sometimes feel like they’re abstractions floating in the clouds — hard to understand fully and even harder to act on.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® changes all of that.
Using hands-on construction in a facilitated sequence of tasks, teams bring abstract ideas down to earth as concrete and tangible models that help everyone to see, touch and understand the strategic commercial dynamics that impact their growth.
Take the case of a workshop we facilitated recently with a healthcare client. Coming into the session, the team felt aligned on the vision they were pursuing, but despite that alignment, they just were not getting any traction towards achieving that vision.
A two-day session helped that team understand, with great clarity, why they were spinning their wheels as an organization vs. driving forward against their competition. The 3D models revealed how and where the team was getting distracted in their mission and helped them pinpoint where to focus in order to regain momentum.
Craft Heart-Centered, Emergent Strategy
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® also takes strategy to a new emotional level–a fresh and potent alternative to traditional methods. Where typical strategy-making can feel rigid or disconnected from the teams that will implement it, LSP brings heart and emotional purpose into the process. Blending analytical logic with the creativity of emotionally resonant metaphors, LSP generates strategic insights that teams can really internalize. The strategies are then embraced with remarkable strength.
Unlike traditional static approaches, LSP is about evolving in a constantly changing world, equipping teams to tackle new challenges with confidence. The shared experience of developing strategic insight via LSP helps teams discover their unique strengths, build positively-charged interpersonal connections, and discover the guiding principles that make navigating change feel natural. Rather than replacing traditional strategy methods, LSP enhances them by fostering trust and cohesion on the teams called on to implement strategy and make it happen.
Are You Curious to Learn More?
Check out our 3-minute video to see how LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) can bring more purpose, clarity, and creativity to your next strategy session.
Brianna Sylver is the founder and President of Sylver Consulting. She focuses on helping clients identify, create and execute on their visions for growth. An innovation strategist and worldwide speaker, educator, and facilitator of innovation process, Brianna has a reputation in the industry as an “innovation leader within the innovation movement.” She holds a BFA in communication design from the University of Buffalo and a master's degree in human-centered communication design and design strategy (MDES) from the Institute of Design at IIT. 
Out of My Comfort Zone (& My Home Country)
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