Bringing Core Values to Life with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
Turning abstract company values into something people can see, share, understand, and bring into everyday action.
Bringing Core Values to Life with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®
At Playworks Team Building, we specialize in using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) for culture building. One of the best ways to use it is to help people understand complex ideas, like defining a company’s core values.
Many workplace managers overlook the importance of these values. Sometimes, they become just another company slogan that people are expected to remember. But what do they actually mean, and how do we show them at work?
At Playworks, we give managers an avenue to explore words like “Integrity,” “Professionalism,” and “Malasakit” and better articulate how to put them into practice in the company.
Participants build 3D LEGO models to give these abstract ideas a physical representation. Through their models and stories, they explain their own understanding and discover how others see the same value differently.
The goal is to help teams go beyond remembering their core values and start recognizing what these values should look like in their everyday actions.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® helps teams turn abstract values into tangible ideas, shared perspectives, and meaningful everyday behaviors.
The workshop includes facilitated building, sharing, reflection, and a game break.
How Do We Utilize the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method?
A hands-on process that gives every participant a voice and transforms individual ideas into shared understanding.
Essentially, LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is a facilitated technique where each participant builds a unique structure using LEGO bricks and then presents and talks about it to the rest of the group.
The purpose of the activity varies depending on the objectives of the workshop. Participants create a 3D representation of their thoughts, ideas, experiences, or understanding of a particular subject.
Build Your Idea
Each participant builds a unique LEGO model based on the question, topic, or challenge presented.
Create a 3D Representation
Abstract thoughts become physical and visible through the model each participant creates.
Share the Story
Each person explains what their model means. Every participant contributes and is given the opportunity to be heard.
Build the Shared Outcome
In some applications, individual models are combined into one shared construction that represents the group's collective understanding.
What Do Your Core Values Really Mean?
Core values can easily become words printed on a wall, included in an employee handbook, or repeated during company orientations.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® gives teams an opportunity to explore what those words actually mean to them and, more importantly, what those values should look like in practice.
Participants create their own interpretation and discover that the same value can be understood in many different ways.
Areas of Focus
LEGO® Serious Play® materials and methodology can be used across different organizational applications.
Strategic Planning
Explore possibilities, align perspectives, and create a shared understanding of the organization's direction.
Problem Solving
Make complex challenges tangible and encourage participants to explore different perspectives and possible solutions.
Product Development
Visualize ideas, explore concepts, and encourage creative collaboration during development processes.
Team Building
Strengthen relationships by giving participants a meaningful way to express ideas and understand one another.
Feedback Giving
Create a structured environment where different experiences, observations, and perspectives can be shared.
Communication Enhancement
Encourage deeper conversations by giving participants another way to communicate ideas and perspectives.
No matter the application, Playworks has facilitators trained to implement these kinds of workshops using the LEGO® Serious Play® Materials and Methodology.
The Benefits of LEGO® Serious Play®
A different way of thinking, communicating, listening, and collaborating.
Think With Your Hands
Participants unlock creativity and innovation by using a different way to express their thoughts and ideas.
Give Everyone a Voice
Every participant creates their own model and has an opportunity to contribute their unique perspective.
Listen With Your Eyes
The models make ideas visible, allowing participants to understand perspectives beyond spoken words.
Hear Different Ideas
Sharing allows many different thoughts and ideas to be heard, explored, and accepted.
Collaborate Meaningfully
Participants use their individual perspectives as a foundation for richer collaboration.
Build a Greater Whole
Individual contributions become part of a shared model that represents collective understanding.
How It Works
From individual ideas to collective understanding.
01. Build
Participants build their own LEGO model based on the question or challenge presented by the facilitator.
02. Share
Each participant tells the story behind their model, allowing every voice to be heard and understood.
03. Reflect
The group explores different perspectives and identifies connections, insights, and shared meaning.
An Immersive Experience Designed for Meaningful Conversations
The workshop includes facilitated building, sharing, reflection, and a game break. The format creates space for participants to think, create, communicate, listen, and collaborate in a different way.
Through the process, teams can explore their company values beyond definitions and begin to understand how those values can become visible in their everyday work.
Let’s Bring Your Company’s Core Values to Life.
Give your team an avenue to explore what your core values really mean, see different perspectives, and turn shared values into meaningful everyday actions.
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