The Problem Suffocating Organisational Transformation
When implementing change, most organisations fall into one of two traps.
The first is a toxic obsession with the idea of “high-performing teams”. Teams are expected to deliver maximum performance while also dealing with the stress and uncertainty of transformation. The result is not innovation, but exhaustion. Resistance to change then becomes a natural defence mechanism against burnout.
The second trap is the fear of speaking up.
You may know the story about the monkeys that continue to follow meaningless rules simply because “that’s how things have always been done here”. When you ask people to change, it is perfectly natural for them to ask: “What’s in it for me?”
Instead of welcoming that question, organisations often treat it as evidence of a lack of team spirit.
Leaders also tend to approach transformation through the lens of their default risk-management style. Analytical managers may try to control every detail through micromanagement, while more people-focused managers can end up discussing the problem indefinitely without moving towards a solution.
The result of both approaches is paralysis.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® and Making the Future Tangible
So how do you overcome fear and involve people in creating a new reality?
Words alone are not enough. People need something they can experience.
One powerful way to make complex change tangible, particularly when implementing new technologies, is the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® (LSP) methodology. It helps teams move beyond analytical paralysis and gives shape to abstract challenges and threats.
A real-world example
Imagine a technology company facing a critical challenge: strategically moving its product into an entirely new industry.
Now imagine a senior leadership team that is highly experienced, but traditionally sceptical of innovation. The team needed to redefine its strategy.
Instead of relying on uninspiring presentations and endless flipcharts, we used a full-day LSP facilitation process.
The task given to the managers was personal and specific from the very beginning:
“Create a powerful image of yourself as a driver of change. What values and strengths do you bring that can help us reach a new target audience?”
The team then worked in a 4D format to build a shared model and answer some tough business questions:
What does our ideal customer look like at their best?
What do we bring to the table?
What accelerates us, and what holds us back?
What are the three absolute priorities we need to focus on right now?
Through this process, the abstract concept of “market change” became a concrete personal contribution from every member of the team.
“For the first time, I could physically connect with our strategy. I could literally touch it and get a feel for it,” said one of the directors who had initially been sceptical.
The result was not another document covered in words. It was a shared experience that stayed with the team.
The team left energised, more connected and with a clear understanding of how to turn the strategy into action. Abstract concepts became memorable metaphors. And while only the team itself knows exactly what “a monkey riding a cow with a shark under its arm” means in the context of their strategy, that shared visual anchor ensures that the direction of change will never again get lost in translation.
