A children’s toy? In a boardroom? Surely not…
That’s the look I often get when I walk into a workshop with bags full of LEGO® bricks. And I get it. At first glance, it does feel like a mismatch. What could coloured bricks possibly have to do with serious topics like strategy, leadership, or culture?
But here’s the catch — LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® isn’t about toys.
It’s about thinking with your hands, unlocking voices that rarely speak up, and surfacing insights that traditional formats leave behind. And in a time when L&D is being asked to do more with less — engage hybrid teams, solve complex problems, drive real alignment — it’s never been more relevant.
What is LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®?
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) is a facilitated methodology that uses LEGO bricks as a tool for thinking, reflection, and storytelling. Participants build metaphorical models in response to carefully designed prompts — and in doing so, they make the intangible visible: ideas, identities, aspirations, even fears.
The name often distracts people — but as Michael Fearne puts it in The LSP Method, the most important word isn’t “LEGO” or “Play.” It’s Serious.
This is not arts-and-crafts. This is cognitive science meeting design thinking — wrapped in a methodology that levels the playing field and unlocks the wisdom in the room.
Why LSP Matters in Learning & Development
Let’s be honest: most workshops are talk-heavy, dominated by extroverts, and end with a well-documented set of slides… and a shrug. The quieter voices stay unheard, and the real thinking often happens after the meeting, in WhatsApp groups or hallway chats.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® flips that dynamic.
In an LSP session:
For L&D professionals, this is gold. It helps us move beyond “knowledge transfer” into co-creation, reflection, and ownership — especially in areas where clarity is murky and emotions run high.
Where I’ve Used it — and Why it Works
As a certified LSP facilitator, I’ve had the privilege of using this method in a variety of L&D contexts. A few examples:
1. Real-Time Identity & Strategy –
A German MNC navigating a super-matrix structure used LSP to align teams across geographies. What emerged wasn’t just strategy slides — it was a shared principle: “Commitment.” A word they built together, owned together, and acted on.
2. Emerging Leaders & Mentoring Conversations
Young leaders in an auto-ancillary firm explored personal values, received feedback through models, and reshaped their mentoring relationships. The session helped shift from performance gaps to growth mindsets.
3. Bringing SWOT to Life
A leading automotive player wanted a strategic reset. We used LSP to convert a classic SWOT into a tactile simulation. Risks weren’t just listed — they were built, moved, challenged. The conversation went deeper than ever before.
4. Product Innovation & Shared Communication
In a cross-functional design sprint for a new product line, team members used LSP to surface unspoken assumptions about customer expectations. One participant built a fragile tower and said:
“This is our product roadmap — tall, impressive, but disconnected at the base.”
The team collectively reshaped the model into a shared metaphor for how UX, marketing, and engineering would communicate going forward. The bricks became a shared language — and the roadmap became a co-owned conversation.
A team of 30 seems like quite a significant resource to focus on the digital pound,” Ian Taylor, an adviser to the trade association CryptoUK, told the Times. “It shows the impact it would have, and that the bank are serious about it.
Mitchel Krytok – Quote
But Isn’t This… Childish?
This is the most common objection. And it usually disappears 15 minutes into the session.
The truth is, building in metaphor bypasses our inner critic. When a participant says, “This black brick is fear,” they’re not hiding behind slides — they’re showing us their truth. When someone builds a fragile bridge to represent trust, everyone leans in. These are the moments where real learning lives.
We don’t stop being creative or visual when we grow up. We just stop being encouraged.
In one of my sessions with senior leaders, a participant held up a model and said:
“This isn’t a ladder. It’s the unrealistic career expectation I’ve been quietly carrying for years.”
The room fell silent — not because it was awkward, but because it was real.
In another, a young manager built a small figure surrounded by large, towering blocks and shared:
“This is how it feels when I enter leadership meetings. I’m capable, but constantly trying to prove I belong.”
That model sparked an honest dialogue about hierarchy, inclusion, and invisible power structures — the kind of conversation that doesn’t happen over coffee or through feedback forms.
And in a product innovation sprint, someone described their build like this:
“This yellow block is what marketing believes is the customer’s top priority. But the red brick over here? That’s what our actual user research says. And they don’t connect — yet.”
What followed was not just empathy across roles — but an integrated shift in how cross-functional teams communicate.
These moments don’t come in spite of the playfulness. They come because of it. LSP creates a safe psychological space to express what’s often hard to say. It gives voice to emotion, to nuance, and to complexity — in both behavioural and functional contexts.
Once people experience that, they don’t see LEGO® as childish anymore. They see it as a tool for unlocking grown-up conversations we’ve been avoiding for far too long.
So, Where Can LSP Fit into Your L&D Strategy?
Here are some places to start:
1. Leadership Development: Identity, alignment, and influence
2. Team Building: Roles, trust, shared purpose
3. Change Management: Exploring the ‘current state’ and co-creating the future
4. Innovation Workshops: Unblocking ideas, building possibility
5. Coaching & Reflection: Making invisible patterns visible
6. Functional Alignment: Cross-team clarity, shared vocabulary, strategic planning
If the challenge is complex and the goal is clarity, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® belongs in the room.
Ready to Explore More?
This is the first of many blogs I’ll be sharing on how LSP can transform the way we approach learning and development. If you’re curious to see it in action — for your teams, your leaders, or your clients — I’d love to connect.
Let’s play seriously.
— Satchit Jamgaonkar
L&D Consultant | Certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator
www.skalent.co.in
