When Bricks Become Strategy: LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® as a Tool for Real Insight

When most people hear the word LEGO, they picture a child’s bedroom floor. During International Week at NEWTON University, however, these colourful bricks became something quite different: a powerful strategic tool.

A workshop titled InternationaliSensation introduced participants to the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method, showing how it can help teams clarify visions, break down communication barriers and create genuine psychological safety. We spoke with Leonid Kushnir, the only accredited trainer of the method in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) emerged in the late 1990s as an unconventional idea: using LEGO bricks to explore complex organisational challenges. Today it is a recognised methodology used by companies and universities around the world. In an era shaped by artificial intelligence and rapid change, the method focuses on something uniquely human: creativity, imagination and shared understanding.

Rather than simply discussing ideas, participants “think with their hands”, transforming abstract concepts into physical 3D models.

Leonid, what should people imagine when they hear the term LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®? Why should we take bricks seriously in a strategic context?

It is essentially a way of thinking, working and communicating. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® offers a multi-sensory way of exploring complex questions. These are usually questions that do not have a single clear answer.

In that moment several key human abilities are activated at once: curiosity, creativity and critical thinking. What participants valued most during the workshop was the open atmosphere and the safe space to share their thoughts and feelings. Ideas that might otherwise remain unspoken suddenly become visible.

Why was this method included in International Week? How do metaphors help define a vision such as InternationaliSensation?

InternationaliSensation is quite an abstract vision. To bring people together around it, we needed a language without boundaries. Colours and shapes provide exactly that.

In LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, hierarchies naturally fade away. Everyone contributes on equal terms, which creates genuine psychological safety. The discussion focuses on the models rather than on the people themselves. For participants, this meant sharing ideas openly and connecting individuals from very different backgrounds into one coherent whole.

What is the biggest difference between talking about ideas and actually building them?

It is easy to say you understand a vision. In many meetings everyone nods in agreement. But when a team is asked to build that vision together, real misunderstandings quickly surface.

Working with physical models allows people to externalise their thinking. When an idea becomes visible, it is much easier for the group to align around it. Participants often experience a state of flow, which leads to deeper reflection and new insights.

What does the feedback from the workshop tell us?

Participants rated the workshop very highly, with an average satisfaction score of 1.8 out of 5 (where 1 represents the highest rating).

• Among the most appreciated elements were the facilitator’s approach, the well-known “duck exercise”, and the atmosphere of open collaboration.
• Participants also highlighted an important insight: international thinking is not only about geography or institutions. It is about connection without limits, and about imagination rooted in human emotion.
• Most said they would strongly recommend the method to others, although several participants suggested allowing more time for reflection and providing larger tables for building the models.

What is one thing a facilitator can do to help teams address even difficult topics?

Trust the process. Each exercise follows a clear structure. Participants build a model, share the story behind it, and then reflect together on what it represents.

The crucial step is connecting those insights to real practice. Without that, the activity would remain an interesting exercise rather than a strategic tool. It is also important to explain at the beginning why the bricks work as a thinking tool. Participants themselves mentioned that a clearer introduction would make the process even more effective.

Why is visualisation such a powerful way to clarify goals?

Because it accelerates tangible results. When people co-create a model of a vision, they develop a strong sense of ownership. They feel that they helped create it.

An idea often remains vague until you can build it and explain it to others. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® ensures that everyone participates. Each person contributes their own model and story, which leads to full engagement across the team.

What should participants ultimately take away from such a workshop?

That is always up to them. In LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®, we do not interpret other people’s models or judge their ideas.

What matters is the awareness that this method exists and that it can be applied in education, professional life and personal development. Since 2025, it has also been possible in the Czech Republic and Slovakia to become a certified facilitator under the patronage of Johan Roos, one of the founders of the method.

About the facilitator

Leonid Kushnir is the only accredited trainer of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitators in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He has more than 15 years of experience in international project management and consulting, working with organisations from the United States to Japan. At universities, he focuses on change management, project management and innovative approaches to business decision-making.