The power of ‘child’s play’ as a learning tool has long been advocated by human development experts. The Montessori school of thought has advocated the technique of letting children learn through play for decades, and it’s a philosophy that’s seeping into the professional sphere for problem solving in adults.
Serious Play is the adult term for using toys, notably Lego, to solve problems and team build. The beauty of Serious Play workshops is that the process puts everybody within a team on a level playing field. Everybody from managers to interns builds with the same instructions. By removing the work milieu and tools of daily tasks, participants benefit from a less stressful environment, enabling them fully access their creativity. The dominance of louder individuals is muted in this environment, allowing entire teams to solve problems, overcome hurdles and feel inspired on an individual and communal level.
The concept of adults playing with children’s toys may seem strange, but the power of play is nothing to be scoffed at. Through our experience in Lego Serious Play facilitation, the ability of building, without having to think allows everybody to participate. A conventional team-building activity is not as powerful. Instead of articulating a problem, you can build it, and visualise how to solve it.
By looking at problems through a different lens, internal problem-solving capabilities can be unlocked and utilised in a new way. This can be an invaluable resource for teams meeting project deadlines and new challenges.
For more information on Lego Serious Play, and how it could help your team be more successful, visit our website: Lego Serious Play
There’s also a wonderful TED talk on the science of play. Watch it here