Discovering Fractals in LEGO? Serious Play?

Something that we learned with Lucio Margulis from Juego Serio? in LSP Certification is that LSP application can result in fractals emergence, which are patterns of subconscious behaviors expressed in the 3D Models. If you are an LSP Certified Facilitator or would like to better understand what Capabilities LSP do have, this article can provide novel insights.

As a LEGO? SERIOUS PLAY? System Competence Center at UCS and partners of a larger network dedicated to LSP Research, we are concerned not only with LSP method application (how), but in understanding the basic principles of LSP, in order to enhance it in new applications. This requires to rely on approaches grounded in scientific observation and experimentation, as well with data collection and analysis.

Why study fractals at LSP Workshops is important

The study of fractals in LSP workshops and trainings can help people to get to know themselves better, to become more aware of the stories they tell themselves and understand the stories who were told and believed by the group. With proper application supported by facilitation, LSP models can act as messages that the hands provide to people and that do not pass through our rationality, and can help, therefore, individuals understand inner traits about their intuition and instinct. This self-discovery can unlock the potential individuals have trough more awareness of their identity at that moment of life, finding more meaning and happiness.

The stage of this Research

This article, at this stage, doesn′t aim to report rigorous scientific validation because this is initial research, however aims to launch some novel, interesting and exploratory insights over this theme. When we did the First LSP Certification at UCS, we started to explore and understand the Fractals emergence, and in the Second LSP Certification, we were more organized considering how to collect and measure this phenomenon, specially because LSP Certification generate a lot of information through all the learning journey.

About Fractals

Fractals, in mathematics, can be understood as mathematical shapes that are infinitely complex. When Lucio brought this perspective, the essence of fractals in LSP was not about identifying the geometrical shapes of fractals, or their mathematical and statistical properties. However, to observe fractals in the sense of a pattern in nature and human behavior that keeps on repeating itself over-and-over-again over a period of time. Pattern is one key atribute.

The other core idea is that in fractals, is when you zoom in or zoom out of a shape, you will see the same pattern. This is another observable feature of a fractal. In the case of LSP, we can see this patterns also repeating when we place the models in a timeline, like a movie, observing repeatable patterns over different models, created by different questions. However, how do we start to discover this fractals?

Fractals and Projections in LSP

The first principle of fractals discovering is to understand LSP is a projective technique, as a drawing in 2D or two dimensions. Drawings in psychology "serve as projective techniques, as they present individuals with an unstructured and ambiguous situation, inviting them to make meaning of these tasks by drawing on their own life experiences" (Amod, Gericke and Bain, 2013). Despite controversies on drawing tests (See Lilienfeld et al., 2000, one of the most referenced articles, PSPI - 1 #2 ( nd.edu ) ), the central part of the discussion over projective techniques relies on their scientific validity, and that in essence means if, in a given test, the result will be the same in different measurements, and will represent the reality (reliability and validity).

The scientific concern with the high level of psychometric proprieties at tests is to assure robustness over other participants and periods. Otherwise, users can have severe consequences, depending on the application. One of them, for instance, is observed during the lie detector tests or even some psychological tests, which attribute persons to a given role based on their personality. What are the negative implications if test fail? Therefore, looking for tests with rigorous validation is essential for responsible use.

Given that in mind, we are not assuming LSP, specially for fractals discovery, as a test to standardize and categorize a given person to a profile. However, understanding that LSP is also a projective technique in three dimensions (or four, if you consider movement in time while presenting a story), we would like to share some novel patterns that were found in a longitudinal data analysis, once this method can help to create a new meaning over the fractals.

Analyzing principles

A critical feature of the LSP method is to create a state of flow (Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi Flow Theory), inserting participants into a flow channel with higher challenge and self-efficacy through the immersion of several progressive techniques.

That means fractals emerge and become more latent as the LSP workshops go by, and specially after warm-up. Participants begin to trust their emotions to model in 3D, with a different level of immersion and engagement.

This is important because you are not expected to see a fractal emerge if you ask a person to develop an LSP model from the start and specially to those who are not familiar with LSP language. It takes the warm-up and some time/flow, and in this case, we started to understand fractals on days 2, 3, and 4. This is an important principle to understand fractals' emergence through time, and not in a single measurement point. Therefore, it is not recommended to observe fractals just in a first time conversation or LSP technique.

Data and analysis

What we are going to present here are the pictures of LSP Models taken on these Certification four days and organized in a timeline. We will start here by offering 5 different models that are from 5 other participants, and maintain the anonymity. For those who are seeing this article, the models won′t make any sense because the model has a context, which is related to the Facilitator's question and by the explanation of the participant, who is the only person who can attribute the meaning to model, as well to all pieces and dispositions at the model (and also reflect about what is missing).

Each of these models from different participants has a significant amount of information and deep meaning considering logical and emotional aspects.

Disclaimer

By any means we seek with this analysis to categorize the participants, but to elucidate the phenomena of fractals in the LSP context, which are repetitive patterns of behavior found in the models. These patterns aren′t analysed only by the models "per se", but understanding what the participant were mentioning/verbalizing at the time, as well its context as a professional and formation background. What readers should observe for the light of this article is that, with the same task (or the same question), the different emergent fractals, and this is a point of discovery and new research.

One important element, is that participants weren't previously instructed about fractals existence, but were aware and accepted to be observed for research purposes during the training. So the behavior manifested here in the 3D models was not induced, but part of the genuine projections of each participant, based in their own decisions.

Understanding fractals in LSP - Case 1

The first participant expressed what we call the Process Fractal. In the first figure, on the given task, the participant modeled an organization, focusing into explanation on the process (on the right). On the second figure, with a different task, participant also focused into process improvement when explaining the model. On third figure, participant refereed to the task in a view of past, present and future, which is also processual and evolutive. We don′t claim correlations between background and fractals, but its important to notice that this participant do have a background in engineering, and its professional mission envolve process organization and orchestration.

The point of fractals is not about user categorization or an absolute test, but what this information can help into group and individuals communication. By understanding that this is an more process oriented user, the idea of inputs, transformation and outputs, logic, flows, organization, will be likelihood more well received. It′s important to understand fractals as a proxy of language, or how a given participant perceives the world, and therefore, are more able to interpret it. What LSP aims to achieve as a method, is to improve communication. If we understand the better way to communicate to a given person, this can greatly increase several other outputs. Moreover, this participant showed great capacity to contribute with organizing reasoning, during discussions. This, therefore, was a pattern identified in three different days of certification more oriented to a process archetype.

Essentially, this fractal emphasis is at the process, or the flow.

Understanding fractals in LSP - Case 2

The second participant expressed what we call the Community Fractal. In the first figure, on the given task, the participant modeled an Community, focusing into the explanation on the people and interactions. On the second figure, with a different task, participant also focused into community development when explaining the model. On third figure, participant refereed to the task in also maintaining the logic of Community, focusing in people and interaction. The adoption of several mini-figures and their disposition in circles is an essential part of this fractal. The words community appeared several times in the speech, as well the background of this participant is in the field of Education and Design, valuating both people and empathy, as well sense of interactions. Repare the difference from the first user, adopting the same questions.

Essentially, this fractal emphasis is at the people, or the horizontal interactions.

Understanding fractals in LSP - Case 3

The third participant expressed what we call the Vision and Alignment Fractal. It′s observable the patterns of people aligned into a specific direction, and the figure of a leader looking from the top, in the three models. In this case, the participant also related the models explanation due its role as a leader in the organization, and the constant need of providing direction and alignment. This was another pattern emerged, and fractal here can be recognized by direction of the figures, size (height in the model), and in the context of the element of vision, highly cited during the model presentation. The background of this participant is also related to management and leadership.

Essentially, this fractal emphasis is at the alignment, in vertical level.

Understanding fractals in LSP - Case 4

The fourth participant expressed what we call the Two World Fractal. A distinguished pattern expressed in the three models, was the idea of two worlds, the family and organization, or both sizes of an organization, and the participant acting as an integrator, seeking to balance these two worlds. This representation was expressed also as the core challenge the participant as in this different scenarios, and was perceived in three moments, with some type of different landscape, wall or separative element. This participant do also have a background in the field of psychology. Psychology training do also affects how our different worlds can be perceived.

Essentially, this fractal emphasis is at the balance of opposite situations.

Understanding fractals in LSP - Case 5

The fifth participant expressed what we call the Organizational Architect. Something that was noticed in the models, and the speech, was the reference to organization design, and how people should be better organized to achieve performance. This is also an emergent fractal with important meaning, since the background of the participant is in information systems and organizational design, and its the core activity and major point of concern.

Essentially, this fractal emphasis is at the macro-structure and organization, with systemic perspective.

Learnings from this observations and future directions

In this LSP Certification, participants do develop a set of activities, which in time and flow, can start to express what we call fractals, as patterns of repetitive behaviors expressed in 3D models and can express traits of the identity. Lucio told us about his experience and visioning of fractals in many certifications, and we decided, for the improvement of LEGO? Serious Play?, to study and write about this phenomena, even in an exploratory mode. What we learned is that, in 5 different participants, even with the access of the same questions, same time and same materials, do expressed very different models, with emergent patterns, which are being called fractals. In previous certification, with 9 participants, we already started to recognize these patterns and than, better improve the approach to measure it.

This article don′t claim to name/categorize these fractals, and that these the only one that exists. More data is needed to better understand other patterns, and even how they correlate with other traits. What we share here is the distinguished difference among participants, identified by comparison over time, and taking into account the fractals wasn′t explicitly mentioned to the participants, what could explain bias.

What is important about fractals emergence and identification is a new perspective to understand how problems are perceived by individuals, how decisions are made, how is the thinking mode, and several other elements can be learned by given persons or teams. So, when we look at these different types of fractals, what can we learn?

Fractals and Framing

Advancing in the analysis, what can we better understand trough this, is a pattern of behavior, and also a framing the participant have when is designing/building the model, motivated by a question. Let′s take a look into some geometric figures that can be observed in the 3d Models.

First fractal emphasis was at the process, or the flow, expressed by linearity. In this case, framing consider an arrow.

Second fractal emphasis was at the people, or the horizontal interactions, expressed by circularity. In this case, framing consider circles.

Third fractal emphasis was at the balance of opposite situations, creating parallel and contrast lines. In this case, framing consider dot lines that can express borders.

Fourth fractal emphasis was at the alignment, in vertical level, modeling in a given height. In this case, framing can be consider in 2 dimensions, axis X and Y, representing lines.

Fifth fractal emphasis was at the macro-structure and organization, with systemic perspective, framing an overall system. In this case, framing is expressed by a square or rectangle, like a snapshot of a given system.

Fractals, Framing and Communication

Discovering Fractals and how individuals frame a given situation can be an important tool for discovering traits of identity and create better communication, specially in contexts where people do have different languages (referring to speaking languages, or even multidisciplinary teams, that deals with more technical and non technical language, for instance).

What people most value when you communicate? They value the sense of logic/process, the value the sense of belonging, they value the sense of equilibrium, they value the sense of alignment, they value the overall system configuration? LSP is about communication, hence, if one start to understand that the reasoning mode of a given person is processual, could increase the probability of the communication being more assertive if this type of logic is considered.

In the end, fractals in LSP are about considering patters of language. If you speak portuguese, spanish, italian or english, that doesn't mean you are being able to communicate properly with a person. We have other languages, that are formed by our modes of thinking and perceiving the world, which is built upon our background and experiences. Understanding that, we can start solving that traditional "communication problems" that every organization have. We standardize communication while people do have different languages to understand and frame the world around, based in their identity.

Therefore, more than patterns of language, understanding fractals can points out to what are the core or deep values of a given participant. Do I value the process efficiency? Do I value the democratic participation? Fractals can help to identify these patterns, helps to improve communication process.

Understanding deep values, organizations can improve their team building, developing better services and products, and any many other benefits. Since LSP is also being adopted in Medicine, Nursing, Law and many other areas in which communication is critical, fractals is an important field to be addressed as research and application.

Much is talked about values and the power of "why", but we need tools for going further and deeper, and LSP, with the proper training of Facilitators, can provide solid ground to this direction.

Limitations and Future Directions

This is a kick-off on fractals study in LSP world and there is too much ground to cover. The contribution of this article was the first known approach to design a scientific method to observe these fractals. However, more data is needed to further explore other atributes, perspectives and dimensions of the phenomena of fractals in LSP. We would like to hear LSP Community feedbacks about fractals.

Acknowledgements

We truly and gratefully express our thanks to the opening of the participants of 1st LSP Certification at UCS and 2nd LSP Certification at UCS for observation during training, and their value for the scientific research for improve LSP, as well Marina Benato . More than the Certification itself as a training process, we need to advance to practice into more research on site, to keep up LSP evolving.

About the Authors

Mateus Panizzon, Lucio Margulis and Asdrúbal Falavigna are LSP facilitators, researchers and are aiming to push LEGO? Serious Play? to new frontiers and unlock new potentials, integrating practice and science.

REFERENCES

Amod, Z., Gericke, R., & Bain, K. (2013). Projective assessment using the Draw-A-Person Test and Kinetic Family Drawing in South Africa. In S. Laher & K. Cockcroft (Eds.), Psychological Assessment in South Africa: Research and applications (pp. 375–393). Wits University Press. https://doi.org/10.18772/22013015782.31

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1988). The flow experience. In M. Csikszentmihalyi & I. S. Csikszentmihalyi (Eds.), Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness (pp. 15-35). Jossey-Bass.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. HarperCollins.

Lilienfeld, S. O., Wood, J. M., & Garb, H. N. (2000). The Scientific Status of Projective Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 1(2), 27-66. https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.002