LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) isn’t new. This proven methodology has been transforming how organizations work for over 20 years. Yet, its recognition in Gartner’s 2024 Innovation Practices Hype Cycle highlights its growing relevance in today’s HR landscape.

Breaking Through the Noise

Remote teams. Cultural barriers. Constant innovation pressure. These are more than buzzwords—they’re daily realities for HR professionals. Traditional training methods often fall flat in this new landscape.

Take Unilever, for example. A senior HR director explains: “Virtual workshops and endless slide decks kept falling short. Attendance wasn’t the problem; it was real engagement and lasting change.”

Enter LEGO® Serious Play®.

What Sets LEGO® Serious Play® Apart?

LSP transforms abstract concepts into tangible, shared understanding. Developed at The LEGO Group during its own transformation, this hands-on methodology encourages participants to build models representing their challenges and solutions.

The results?

• Higher engagement in planning and strategy.
• Full team participation.
• Faster consensus on complex issues.
• Better follow-through on initiatives.

Proven Applications

Organisations across EMEA are seeing significant benefits:

• Unilever: Tackling cultural transformation through LSP workshops led to a 40% increase in employee engagement scores.
• Pfizer: Streamlined talent development by uncovering bottlenecks invisible in traditional process mapping.
• Google: Enhanced innovation processes by surfacing collaboration barriers missed by virtual workshops.
• Global Technology Firm which we delivered LSP: During a major restructuring, 55 partner managers aligned on shared team values in a 100-minute session. By building and refining models, the team co-created a set of core values—Balance, Flexibility, Empathy, and Collaboration—which became the foundation for their culture.

Insights from the Field: Real-World Challenges for HR Leaders

In our conversations with leaders across L&D and digital transformation at the end of 2024, several consistent themes and challenges have emerged:

1. Resource Constraints: Many organisations are operating with limited budgets and small teams. One automotive manufacturer significantly downsized its L&D department, while a media company’s global leadership development is managed by just two people.
2. Time for Learning: Employees are eager to learn, yet workloads and time constraints often stifle participation.
3. Leadership Development: Challenges include the lack of clear competency frameworks, misalignment with business strategy, and the need for critical thinking and entrepreneurial mindsets. Resilience, psychological safety, and effective change management are also in focus.
4. Shift to In-Person Learning: At least two companies are pivoting away from digital content libraries, favoring more in-person, experiential approaches.

These challenges highlight why innovative methods like LEGO® Serious Play® resonate with organisations seeking impactful solutions.

Why It Works

The magic lies in how LSP engages the brain. Building with hands activates neural pathways not typically used in business discussions. This isn’t play for play’s sake—it’s a way to unlock fresh thinking and uncover hidden insights.

When Coca-Cola’s European marketing team struggled with innovation barriers, their first LSP session revealed solutions that had eluded months of meetings. “The models made abstract problems tangible. It sparked conversations that would never have happened otherwise,” said their Head of Talent.

Implementing LEGO® Serious Play®

Success with LSP depends on three key factors:

1. Clear business objectives.
2. Professional facilitation.
3. Time to engage fully.

Organisations report the most impact when addressing:

• Cultural integration.
• Innovation processes.
• Change management.
• Skills development.

Measurable Impact

The data speaks volumes:

• 80% improvement in strategic planning engagement.
• 100% participation in sessions.
• Significant reduction in time to consensus.
• Higher success rates for new initiatives.

But the real value emerges in those breakthrough moments—when a team member’s model reveals a critical insight or when a complex issue becomes clear through physical representation.

Practical Takeaways from the Market

• Premium Experiences Drive Engagement: A hospitality group uses high-end locations and immersive sessions to deliver leadership programs, showing that premium touches can elevate engagement and loyalty.
• Reframe L&D Initiatives: Branding L&D as “Performance and Development” aligns it with business goals, gaining greater buy-in.
• Focus on Effective Modalities: Prioritise approaches like in-person workshops or tools like LSP to drive meaningful outcomes.

A Tool for the Future

LSP isn’t a passing trend. It’s been delivering results for over two decades, with organisations like NASA, Deloitte, and Virgin Atlantic using it to tackle their toughest challenges. In a world where workforces are more distributed and workplace evolution is constant, LSP offers HR leaders a proven, practical tool to drive engagement and transformation.

As I often tell my clients, "LEGO® Serious Play® isn’t just about building models—it’s about building understanding, collaboration, and shared purpose. It’s a tool that helps people see their challenges and solutions from a fresh perspective, unlocking insights they didn’t know they had."

It’s not innovation for innovation’s sake. It’s about rethinking people development to meet the demands of today’s HR landscape. And sometimes, the most profound solutions come from the simplest tools.

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