How LEGO® Serious Play® Unlocks Team Performance and Collaboration
Successful teams thrive on collaboration, trust, and clear communication. However, many teams struggle with misalignment, unspoken conflicts, and ineffective collaboration. Traditional team-building exercises often fall short in addressing these challenges in a meaningful way.
This is where LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) comes in—a powerful facilitation methodology that enables teams to visualise problems, improve communication, and foster creativity. By engaging in hands-on model-building, teams can explore complex issues, align on goals, and unlock high performance.
In this article, we’ll explore how LEGO® Serious Play® enhances team performance and collaboration, providing actionable insights for coaches, facilitators, and team leaders.
Why Teams Struggle with Collaboration
Before diving into the benefits of LEGO® Serious Play®, let’s examine some common challenges that hinder team effectiveness:
Lack of Psychological Safety – Team members may not feel comfortable sharing ideas or concerns openly.
Poor Communication – Misunderstandings and siloed thinking can lead to friction and inefficiency.
Unclear Roles & Responsibilities – Without clarity, teams struggle to align on objectives and expectations.
Resistance to Change – Team members may be hesitant to adopt new ways of working or thinking.
Lack of Shared Vision – Without a common purpose, teams may work at cross-purposes, leading to disconnection and low engagement.
LEGO® Serious Play® helps teams break through these barriers by fostering a safe, engaging, and interactive environment for discussion and problem-solving.
How LEGO® Serious Play® Enhances Team Performance
1. Building Psychological Safety
Psychological safety—the ability to take risks and express ideas without fear of judgment—is essential for high-performing teams. LEGO® Serious Play® creates an inclusive environment where every participant contributes equally through model-building.
Each team member builds and explains their model, ensuring that every voice is heard.
The focus shifts from individuals to the LEGO models, reducing personal defensiveness and encouraging open discussions.
Through storytelling and metaphor, team members can express concerns and ideas that they might struggle to articulate verbally.
2. Strengthening Communication and Active Listening
LEGO® Serious Play® enhances team communication by requiring participants to actively listen to each other's explanations and interpretations.
Team members learn to articulate ideas in a structured, engaging way.
Facilitators encourage clarification questions, deepening understanding among colleagues.
Shared storytelling strengthens connections and fosters mutual respect and appreciation for diverse perspectives.
3. Clarifying Roles and Responsibilities
Unclear roles often lead to inefficiencies and misaligned expectations. LSP allows teams to map out responsibilities and team dynamics in a visual, interactive way.
Participants build models representing their roles, strengths, and contributions to the team.
By comparing and discussing models, teams identify overlaps, gaps, and potential conflicts.
The process reinforces accountability and alignment, ensuring that everyone understands their contribution to the team’s success.
4. Encouraging Creative Problem-Solving
Innovation and adaptability are crucial for teams facing complex challenges. LEGO® Serious Play® unlocks creative thinking by engaging both the logical and intuitive sides of the brain.
Team members build models to represent solutions to current challenges.
Through iterative prototyping, teams refine ideas collaboratively.
The physical nature of LEGO bricks makes abstract concepts more concrete, leading to more effective problem-solving.
5. Aligning Teams Around a Shared Vision
One of the most powerful applications of LEGO® Serious Play® is helping teams define and align around a shared vision.
Teams collectively build a model of their ideal future.
The shared model becomes a visual reference point for decision-making and goal-setting.
Teams discuss obstacles and strategies for achieving their vision, enhancing commitment and motivation.
Step-by-Step Guide: Running a LEGO® Serious Play® Team Workshop
If you’re a facilitator or team leader, here’s how you can use LEGO® Serious Play® to enhance team performance:
Step 1: Define the Workshop Goal
Identify the key issue or outcome (e.g., improving team dynamics, defining strategy, resolving conflict).
Tailor LEGO® Serious Play® exercises to align with this goal.
Step 2: Set the Stage
Create a safe, open environment for participation.
Introduce the methodology and establish ground rules (e.g., every model has meaning, and everyone shares).
Step 3: Warm-Up & Skill-Building
Start with a simple building exercise (e.g., "Build a model that represents success to you").
This helps participants become comfortable using LEGO as a thinking tool.
Step 4: Core Team Exercises
Building the Team Landscape – Each member builds a model of their role and contribution.
Exploring Challenges – Participants build models representing current obstacles in the team.
Constructing the Ideal Team – The team collaborates on a shared model of high performance.
Step 5: Reflection & Action Planning
Discuss key takeaways from the models and identify concrete actions.
Encourage teams to apply their insights in real-world projects and team interactions.
Real-World Applications of LEGO® Serious Play® for Teams
LEGO® Serious Play® is widely used by teams across various industries:
Corporate Teams – Aligning around strategic goals and improving collaboration.
Startups & Innovation Teams – Unlocking creative problem-solving and agile thinking.
Project Teams – Enhancing communication and breaking down silos.
Remote & Hybrid Teams – Strengthening team cohesion in virtual environments.
Leadership Teams – Exploring leadership dynamics and decision-making processes.
Getting Started with LEGO® Serious Play® in Your Team
If you’re new to LEGO® Serious Play® and want to integrate it into your team coaching or facilitation practice, here’s how to begin:
Get Trained & Certified – Learn facilitation techniques to maximise the impact of LSP.
Start with Small Exercises – Introduce LSP in a short session before running full workshops.
Tailor Activities to Team Needs – Customise LSP exercises to address specific challenges.
Combine with Other Team Coaching Methods – Use LSP alongside agile retrospectives, design thinking, or systemic coaching for a well-rounded approach.
At The Brick Coach, we offer a comprehensive online LEGO® Serious Play® training for coaches, facilitators, and team leaders. Learn how to use this powerful tool to enhance team performance from anywhere in the world.
High-performing teams are built on trust, communication, and alignment—all of which LEGO® Serious Play® helps unlock. By integrating this methodology into team coaching and facilitation, leaders and facilitators can create more engaged, collaborative, and innovative teams.
Ready to unlock your team’s full potential? Join our online LEGO® Serious Play® training today!
