This is not a toy.
In 2016 I applied for a senior leadership role in the IT Department at the University of Adelaide. Things were going well. I had succeeded in two rounds of interviews.
A day later, I got a call from one of my referees. "I'm sorry if I cost you the job. I mentioned that LEGO? thing that you do."
Oh no... not the LEGO thing?!
For the past four years, LEGO bricks featured prominently in a range of workshops I had facilitated. I introduced them because I was frustrated that the written outcomes of workshops were typically forgotten.
A workshop where you play with LEGO bricks is memorable. More importantly, people talk about the models they have built and the meaning embedded in them.
This technique definitely works, but no doubt there is stigma attached to bringing plastic toys into a business discussion. I felt it when my referee called me up. Can you really do serious work with toys?
As for the interview - yes, I got the job... and no less than 3 of the 4 referees had mentioned the LEGO thing!
I've continued to run workshops using LEGO and experimented with other materials - like beads and pipecleaners. I've consistently had the same result - better recall for less upfront effort and less need of reinforcement. All it takes is a little spark of curiosity.
So I encourage you to try it out. Drop a box of LEGO bricks or other craft/construction materials on the table the next time you run a discussion or workshop and get people to build a model as well as writing things down.
I have started Convivial Ideas to apply what I have learned in giving teams an edge through better alignment. Our 'Permission to Play' session is a great introduction to give you the skills to introduce LEGO bricks into your workplace. We can also deliver a range of workshops to explore more complex topics using the LEGO? Serious Play? method.
Helping individuals grow and excel
4 年I once worked at a place where there was a few creative toys at brainstorming sessions, including Play Dough. Mixing Play Dough colours was a sackable offence ;)
Healthscope
4 年Very interesting and yes you, toys and workshops are synonymous
Product Practice Manager @ Amazon Web Services | Professional Coach
4 年Legos are "a thing" in Adult Development and have a relatively long history in universities in Adelaide. I think it was Federico Sevilla and I designing and facilitating the first Scrum training workshops with Lego in SA Uni in around 2012. And later on, in 2014 Francesco Vassallo opened the doors to my workshops at Flinders University. It was around 2016 when I was training some of your teams Frank Buechele in adopting Scrum building Lego products ... in the 2017-19s upgraded to a file cards version of Lego cities to teach Agile at ANZ with some amazing colleagues in Rasoul Baghban and others ... so many learnings and such great times having worked with all of you. Thank you for that! Like Reply
Director and Principal Consultant at UXC Consulting Group and Director at Imagination Corporation
4 年I LOVED the LEGO thing ??
Curiously investigating skills, employability, data, recognition, mobility and more
4 年I would love to do one of your workshops Frank. I remember an ACODE workshop on micro credentials where Kathryn Coleman, PhD got out the craft materials. You are right it sticks with you!