What can Lego teach us about cognitive diversity?

Last night my daughter finished this LEGO build - I bought it for her as London was the first membership city for us here at Blend .

As I was watching her build it, I thought alot about what the LEGO Group can teach us about leadership and how we as individuals approach the task of playing with Lego very differently.

As a brand Lego has creativity at its heart, but what does it teach us about the power of cognitive diversity?

Varied Approaches to Building: When people engage with Lego sets, each person may have a unique approach to building. Cognitive diversity is evident in the different strategies individuals use to interpret instructions, plan their builds, and solve problems encountered during the process. Some may focus on details, while others prioritize overall structure, showcasing diverse thinking styles.

Creative Problem-Solving: Lego encourages creative thinking and problem-solving. As individuals face challenges while building, they tap into their cognitive diversity to come up with innovative solutions. The diversity of thought processes becomes apparent as people use different methods to overcome obstacles and realize their creative visions.

Collaborative Building: Collaborative Lego building, where multiple individuals contribute to a single creation, brings together people with different perspectives and approaches. This collaborative process showcases the power of cognitive diversity in combining various skills, ideas, and problem-solving strategies to achieve a shared goal.

Inclusive Design: Lego's commitment to inclusivity is reflected in the design of their sets. They aim to create products that appeal to a broad audience, considering factors like gender neutrality and cultural diversity. This approach recognizes and values cognitive diversity, ensuring that Lego products are accessible and enjoyable for a wide range of individuals.

Lego Serious Play: The Lego Serious Play methodology is a business strategy and problem-solving approach that uses Lego bricks. It leverages the idea that people think and communicate in different ways. Participants build representations of their thoughts, fostering cognitive diversity in expressing ideas and perspectives during collaborative problem-solving sessions. If you haven’t checked this out, you can find out more here - https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/serious-play

Lego Education: In educational settings, Lego is often used to teach various subjects, emphasizing hands-on, experiential learning. This approach recognizes that students have diverse learning styles and strengths. Cognitive diversity is embraced by tailoring educational experiences to accommodate various ways of understanding and engaging with concepts.

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Adaptability and Flexibility: Lego sets can be used to build a wide array of creations beyond the intended design. This flexibility encourages individuals to think outside the box, fostering cognitive diversity by promoting adaptability and a willingness to explore alternative solutions and possibilities.

?"Lego intrinsically teaches us that cognitive diversity is a valuable asset"

Without you knowing it, Lego intrinsically teaches us that cognitive diversity is a valuable asset. It celebrates different thinking styles, problem-solving approaches, and creative perspectives. Embracing cognitive diversity in the context of Lego fosters a rich and dynamic environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and the appreciation of diverse talents and viewpoints.

At Blend we believe we should all be a bit more Lego! As leaders we should build our leadership teams, create organisational design and development plans, structuring innovation, processes and teams to unlock the power of difference - or maybe we should all just play and build Lego more often – I’ll let you decide.

What is Blend?

Are you a leader of a large enterprise Interested in broadening your cognitive diversity? Interested in learning from some of the brightest minds across the boardroom? #JoinBlend and our community of cross functional enterprise leaders to explore new perspectives and unlock the power of different.

Blend is now open for membership applications in both London and New York – we hope to play Lego with you soon!