From play to purpose: Lego® Serious Play® (LSP), building better organisations.

Many of us fondly remember spending happy hours playing with Lego®, that famous, modular children’s building block system that inspired our young minds and sparked our creativity to build incredible, fantastical scenarios. Little did we know then, what we know now. In the interim the Lego® of our formative years has like us, grown up, and once again, as adult professionals, we can continue to play Lego, by placing one block onto another - but with a very different purpose in mind.

The power of Lego® Serious Play® (LSP)

Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) is a facilitated, hands-on and mind-on methodology that uses Lego®  bricks as a tool to spark creative thinking, problem-solving, and team communication. Developed in the 1990s, it leverages the building of physical models to unlock ideas, stimulate collaborative thinking, and explore complex business ideas. In response to guided questions, participants construct 3D models, either individually or collectively. Then they share and reflect on the perspectives behind their models, encouraging deeper discussion, collaborative thinking, collective understanding and organisational alignment.

The science behind LSP

Based on psychology, neuroscience, and organisational theory, supported by academic studies, LSP demonstrates that deep insights may be achieved through building tangible models to articulate complex ideas. 

How Kaleidoscope uses Lego® Serious Play® (LSP)

At Kaleidoscope, our objective is to shift organisations from stuck to strategic. Our capabilities include New Ways of Work (NWoW), Service Design, Design Thinking, Organisational Design, Kaleidoscope Business Accelerator and Business Health Assessment. But when we reach for Lego® Serious Play® (LSP), we do this to guide organisations and teams to communicate better, think more clearly and act more decisively. 

Why it works 

Lego® Serious Play® is a real game-changer helping participants to navigate complex terrain while feeling seen, heard and empowered. LSP untangles an organisation’s circular narratives reframing the conversation and solving issues that other methods simply cannot. By building models with Lego® bricks, participants can present their ideas, gain deeper perspectives of the operating landscape, contribute to conversations and achieve closer alignment and ownership of solutions.

Here is how LSP fits into our broader approach:

1. Poor communication

LSP ensures every voice is heard by creating a safe space where everyone builds and shares, surfacing insights that might otherwise remain invisible.

2. Lack of alignment

By turning abstract ideas into physical models, LSP helps teams unite around a shared vision, understanding or direction.

3. Unclear strategy or planning

LSP crystallises vague thinking into clear strategy by externalising ideas and aiding teams to co-create with clarity and ownership.

4. Problem-solving and innovation

LSP sparks fresh thinking through hands-on creativity, often leading to unexpected breakthroughs that traditional methods may not achieve.

5. Group think or dominant voices

LSP levels the playing field so everyone contributes equally, reducing hierarchies while encouraging richer, more inclusive dialogue.

6. Complexity and ambiguity

LSP helps teams simplify multidimensional challenges, see patterns and explore solutions through tangible, shared models.

A case study

We were recently engaged to guide an organisation facing challenges with disparity in roles, responsibilities and accountability. 

“One of the key challenges we are faced with when working with organisations is getting people to communicate or articulate freely, particularly when they are positioned in different roles, environments or silos. Lego® Serious Play® neutralises the conventional playing field, encouraging tactile problem-solving while providing clarity around topics. It depersonalises the conversation, shifting the focus onto the model thereby enabling the participants to collaborate and find solutions.”

• Betty Hardcastle, Kaleidoscope

Client Brief 

A fast-growing company in the recruitment sector had developed a technology-driven system to streamline its talent pipeline. While the tool was live and in use, the business sensed it was underperforming and not achieving its full potential. The team struggled to pinpoint where innovation was needed or how to adapt the system to support its people-facing environment better.

Problem Statement as articulated by the team

“We have a tech tool built to support recruitment, but it's not being used to its full potential. We don’t know where the bottlenecks are, and we’re unsure what changes would make it more effective for both our team and the candidates.”

To unpack the challenge, we used Lego® Serious Play® as an interactive methodology to uncover insights that traditional strategy sessions often overlook. The session brought together team members from across operations, tech, and HR to collaboratively: 

• Define the current state

Each participant built a model representing how they experience or interact with the system in its current form.

• Visualise blockers and pain points

Through storytelling and metaphor, we uncovered invisible friction points and unspoken frustrations.

• Identify opportunities for innovation

Teams were asked to build an “ideal future state” and share what success could look like if the tool worked optimally.

• Align on actionable next steps

Common patterns were synthesised into clear improvement opportunities and innovation pathways.

• Outcomes 

  • Compiling a clear roadmap of immediate enhancements to improve user adoption and experience. 

  • Discovery of previously unrecognised system features causing confusion or duplication. 

  • Cross-functional alignment on the tool’s role in the broader recruitment journey. 

  • A shift from a tech-centric to a human-centric design mindset for future upgrades. 

This approach not only clarified the innovation opportunities but also created buy-in and ownership among internal users, ensuring that future iterations would be easily adopted.

FAQ

Is LSP just playing with Lego®? 

No, it is a facilitated method designed to solve real business challenges using metaphorical model-building. While it may appear to be playful, it is grounded in serious objectives and guided by principles from psychology, organisational development, and systems thinking.

How is LSP different from a regular team-building activity?

Unlike typical team-building activities that focus on fun or bonding, LSP is a structured, hands-on methodology that drives deeper reflection, strategic thinking, and inclusive dialogue around real business challenges.

How long is a LSP session? 

It can vary from a 45-minute to a 90-minute session or a half or whole-day workshop.

How many people can participate in LSP?

Lego® Serious Play® is ideal for 4 to 12 participants per facilitator but can scale to larger groups using multiple facilitators and breakout sessions.

Who should participate?

Participants in a session should be team members, stakeholders, or decision-makers who are directly involved in, impacted by, or responsible for the topic being explored. This ensures meaningful input and encourages ownership of the outcomes.

Is LSP conducted with real Lego® pieces on a board?

It is played very loosely, and the models range from very simple to very large and complex, sometimes filling an entire room.

What happens to the models after?

Models are photographed, documented and then dismantled, as their primary purpose is to capture and communicate ideas during the session. 

Can LSP be played remotely? 

While playing LSP in person is the preferred option, it is possible to play virtually online. Lego® Serious Play® may be provided to remote or international destinations for virtual play sessions if necessary.

Does Kaleidoscope offer a free 30-minute discovery session? Yes, we do! Contact us for more information: hello@kaleidoscopesa.co.za

What is Kaleidoscope’s fee for an LSP workshop? Fees are hourly, and we can collaborate with you to create a session that aligns with your organisation’s needs and objectives.

Building better conversations together

Are you interested in experiencing how Lego® Serious Play® can boost your organisation’s growth, strategy, or innovation journey? Or are you looking to improve your team’s cohesion and alignment? Kaleidoscope offers a free 30-minute discovery session to help you explore if Lego® Serious Play® is the right fit for you. 

Reach out to us to start a transformative conversation, or simply to connect: 

kaleidoscopesa.co.za | hello@kaleidoscopesa.co.za | LinkedIn  

Kaleidoscope Business Consulting guides agile high-performance organisations and teams to adapt, collaborate, innovate, scale and grow. Partner with us today to create vibrant workplaces that are more human-centric, collaborative and aligned.