Everyone knows the bright colorful LEGO® bricks are a kids' toy, right? Well, not exactly. In our management consulting and project management work, LEGO bricks are 3D plastic tools for tabletop communication, problem-solving, strategy development, scenario testing, prototyping, developing communication strategies, and getting to innovative solutions.
Talk about complex adult work!
Simply stated: Thinking and storytelling with 3D objects on a tabletop is more brain friendly than just writing and speaking. It is certainly more engaging and comprehensible than PowerPoint. Most executives default to PowerPoint, which is brain UN-friendly. Research has found that when used badly—and that's almost always—it actually makes people, groups, and teams, less intelligent.
PowerPoint creates cognitive overload and burnout.
So let's focus on what works, and that is LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methods. We have used this powerful tool with various organizations in almost every sector for a surprising range of uses, including:
- project management initiatives.
- development of plans to renovate large municipal buildings to better deliver highly needed community services.
- intractable housing and transportation issues.
- inventing new fast moving consumer products like shampoo, toothpaste, and cleaning products.
- making medical departments more effective and friendly for end users.
These organizations greatly improved both their effectiveness and bottom line.
The income non-profits and governments have saved is only second to the ROI the private sector has generated by using this tool. If your guess is in the billions, you are on the right track. You have probably utilized at least one product or service today that someone, somewhere, used LEGO SERIOUS PLAY to invent or improve.
The magic of the process is in the hand-brain connection, the constructing and deconstructing of new ideas and sharing insights. No other tool works the same when it comes to the powerful neuroscientific benefits of this method. It supports each person as they construct their ideas and deconstruct old ways of thinking. It is the act of building with our own hands while we see and hear from others doing the same. It's in the ever-changing nature of a story constructed by a group of people that takes abstract ideas like strategy building to an entirely new level, where the abstract morphs into the group's concrete plans.
The U.S. Department of Defense, specifically Space Force and the U.S. Air Force, are just a few of the leading organizations that have quickly become a consumer of this method. And you may be surprised how they use it. Not only do they work on problem-solving and strategy development, but they also utilize LEGO SERIOUS PLAY to support mental health and well-being.
And because we are already name-dropping groups that use this innovative tool with us, we may as well add a few more to the list: Procter & Gamble, Jet Proposal Lab/NASA, Home Depot, and lululemon.
Why mention names? When asking decision makers to try something that sounds so unusual, they need examples of innovative leaders who have been brave enough to march on before them and succeed.
Like you, the leaders we already mentioned are not measured on what they can do: They are measured on how well they can mobilize others to align and work together to do important work. No one has all the answers, not even good leaders.
Leaders need a clear and effective way to engage and hear from each individual in their group. By using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY, they can gather much needed, unadulterated, grass roots information. They can then connect it with their unique vision and insights to create an inspirational future with a clear road map for others to follow.
Thinking in 3D is the first step toward building a sustainable future. Are you ready to follow in the footsteps of the big names greatly improving their operations by inviting us to bring our LEGO bricks?
Email us today so we can chat about your challenges and how we can support you to uncover the answers.