Think with your hands

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) is a facilitated thinking, communication, and problem-solving method for individuals, teams, and organisations. It’s playful—and very serious about outcomes. We use our hands to build models, tell stories, and make sense of complex challenges together. The result: equal voice, deeper insight, better decisions, and clear next steps.

I’m a certified LSP facilitator. I integrate the method into coaching, team workshops, and multi-stage programmes, in person and online.

What the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method is

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) draws from research across business, organisational development, psychology, and learning science. It’s grounded in “hand knowledge” and five fundamental beliefs:

  1. Leaders don’t have all the answers—success depends on hearing every voice.

  2. People want to contribute—to be part of something bigger and take ownership.

  3. Equal contribution is sustainable—engagement beats compliance.

  4. Teams often leave knowledge untapped—LSP surfaces what’s missing.

  5. We work in complex, adaptive environments—“wicked” contexts need new ways of thinking.

You won’t get a history lecture here; you’ll get a practical, human explanation of how it works and why it helps.

The Four Core Steps

Every LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® application uses these four steps to get equal voice, shared understanding, and concrete insight.

1.

Posing the Question

A clear, open ended question with no single “right” answer.

2.

Construction

Participants make sense of what they know and can imagine by building a model with LEGO bricks and designed to inspire metaphor and story making.

3.

Sharing

Each person shares the meaning and story of their model; we talk about the model, not the person.

4.

Reflection

We crystallise insights and ask clarifying questions of the models.

The Seven Application Techniques

Each technique builds on the previous one and lets us handle increasing complexity. As a trained facilitator, I design at the right level of complexity for your context.

  • AT1 — Building individual models: unlock each person’s knowledge and potential.

  • AT2 — Building shared models: align understanding and create decisions together.

  • AT3 — Creating a landscape: map patterns, clusters, or themes across models.

  • AT4 — Making connections: show how elements relate and influence each other.

  • AT5 — Building a system: surface interdependencies and understand impacts when things change.

  • AT6 — Playing emergence & decisions: play “what if?” to see how the system reacts to internal/external change; practice real-time decision-making.

  • AT7 — Extracting simple guiding principles: distil lessons into memorable rules-of-thumb for future decisions.

Why it works

Hands → brain

Our hands are densely connected to the brain; using them while thinking externalises ideas and unlocks what’s implicit.

Metaphor Reveals Meaning

Building models lets people express complex ideas they can’t easily verbalise—quickly and memorably.

Flow State

The tactile, story-based process draws people into deep focus, making it easier to surface insight and move to action.

Complex Systems

LSP helps us see the system—not just parts—so we can explore scenarios, find leverage, and decide with confidence.

How I Use LSP

Coaching

Clients build to explore purpose, values, choices, and “stuckness.” It slows thinking just enough to reveal what matters.

Teams & Organisations

From team dynamics and culture to strategy, operating principles, and innovation. We combine LSP with design/systems thinking and clear decision frameworks.

Remote-Ready

It works beautifully online. We send a small brick set to each participant, meet on video, and combine LSP with digital whiteboards for capturing artefacts.

Best In Person

Nothing beats a room of people building, sharing, and learning together. We’ll choose the format that fits purpose and constraints.

Playing by the Rules

  1. We only play when everyone is present.

  2. There’s no wrong build.

  3. Building time = playing + thinking.

  4. Respect others’ models.

  5. We only talk about the things we see—always point at the model while sharing.

  6. Phones and laptops are off and out of sight.

  7. Trust your hands—start building.

These rules create safety, speed, and equal voice.

Where LSP Helps

Team Building

Shared principles, working agreements, ways of working.

Innovation

Concept generation, scenario exploration, fast convergence to testable ideas.

Strategy

Purpose, values, operating models, decision rights.

Guiding Principles

Extracting memorable rules-of-thumb that travel beyond the room.

Coaching

Unlocking deeper insight through metaphor and story.

We started with a wonderful quote by George Bernard Shaw "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." Albert facilitated us through the most amazing day of fun, play, laughter, insight and learning. I highly recommend Albert and LEGO SERIOUS PLAY.

Ailbhe Harrington

Founder,
Aspire Coach Training

Ready to Play with Purpose?

Let’s design a LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® session—or series—that fits your people, context, and ambitions.

 Book a discovery Call