LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

Yesterday I ran a highly successful session at a major publishing organisation using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methodology as a basis for a Creative Thinking program. The participants included managers and team members from a range of different divisions including marketing, conferencing and editorial.
The day covered areas such as how to use imagination in different ways; how to involve a wide diversity of team members in generating ideas; how to work with the concept of 'flow'; how to create challenges through change; practical application of the 6 hats thinking concepts and action strategies for reviving and refreshing teams who are feeling 'flat'.
The outcomes from the day were some very useful designs for the way forward as well as some deep insights into how the team could function more effectively moving forward.
The participants are so keen to spread the word in the organisation that they want to start a legolution!
Comments from the day indicate just how much the participants benefited from the session:
"Everyone in this business should do this program!"
"I saw different ways of thinking and of imagining."
"I learnt about the various creative thinking techniques and how to improve my team's creative discussion"
"Loved every minute of it! A very warm and accepting environment to take risks and explore new ideas and ways of thinking."
"Helped me to understand methods for unlocking creative thought"
"Lots of fun. Very inspirational"
"Took me out of the doldrums in terms of leading my team through changes"
"The course covered a number of strategies that I can use on a regular basis with my team."

School Business Week

I was asked to mentor a group of school children in Year 10 who are participating in Business Week. The aim of the week is to encourage children to understand the world of business and they work through a business simulation activity.
I felt it really important to be there as there were no other female mentors participating - this sends the signal to girls that the world of business is only open to males.
The group was working on the launch of a hotel and had to fulfil various functions such as setting a budget, launching a marketing campaign and issuing shares.
One girl in the group was in tears as the 'CEO' of the team had spoken to her harshly. A fellow student came to console her and I listened in to the conversation. The fellow student spoke to the tearful student with such a high level of emotional intelligence and with a maturity beyond her years. She showed her how to use empathy and see things from someone else's perspective.
I was really impressed by the use of this skill and asked the girl who provided the counselling what her role was in this hotel launch.
I am the HR Manager she said! Well, of course she was...

Video - LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

View this video to get a sense of what is possible through a LEGO SERIOUS PLAY session and imagine how you could use this methodology to suit the needs of your organisation.

Adapting LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

The great thing about LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is that is has so many adaptations to a range of different organisational situations. This is the first time that Australian businesses have use of this methodology through the official LEGO-r channels and what an opportunity it is!
We are currently using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY in the following cases:
1. We are delivering training to an organisation that needs to become more innovative and generate a culture of innovation in all teams. We have designed a day that includes De Bono's 6 hats thinking as well as some of the key principles of the LEGO methodology - working with hand-mind connections; inclusivity of all those in a meeting; effective brainstorming that moves from the individual to the group; differentiating between the different types of imagination and how these could be used effectively and also setting guiding principles for the facilitation of future innovation meetings.
2. We are also working with teams who are in a range of functional areas and who don't always see each other. How do they feel connected to the business goals and how do they establish a network amongst themselves so that they feel supported and not isolated. LEGO SERIOUS PLAY's real time team strategy day fits perfectly with this purpose and ensures that there is no more 'Lonely Guy' syndrome. Everyone becomes part of the system and feels that they are an important player in maintaining the system.
3. We are designing sessions that relate to culture change. One of Australia's top businesses wants to improve the team members' attitudes towards customer service. At present customer service representatives don't see the importance to the business of a strong customer service ethic and don't know how serving a customer better could in fact give them a more perfect day at work. They are currently stressed and face a range of conflict situations with no skills to resolve them. LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is going to be integrated into changing the outlook of the team members and their coordinators through a range of activities. These include allowing the team members to have a basic understanding of the Johari window and how these perceptions of themselves and how others perceive them are integrated into their total personality. There are also activities designed to allow the team members to build their own versions of team strategy and to feel how incidents from the outside have an impact on this strategy - they have the opportunity to act out how they would react in these situations and set their own team wisdom should these events occur.

LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

I spent the most incredible week in the USA with an amazing group of participants learning how to facilitate a range of sessions using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY methodology.
Watch out Australia as Management Consultancy International incorporates this powerful tool into a range of applications for business. We will soon be updating our website to include more information and demonstrate the strong impact that LEGO SERIOUS PLAY has on team development and strategic thinking. Management Consultancy International has acquired the licence to use the process in Australia and we will soon bombard you with lots more detail.

The process incorporates story-telling and is inclusive of all participants. No more meetings where few contribute and no overall buy-in achieved. Using LEGO SERIOUS PLAY ensures full participation and the possibility of accomplishing more in 1 day than is otherwise possible. There are many other advantages as well as so many different ways of applying the methodology as required by teams and the outcomes they are seeking to achieve. It is a great tool for team building as well as development of

There were participants on the training program from just about every continent and as the group grappled with the process, firm bonds formed - yet more proof of the effectiveness of the tool in so many settings.
It was interesting being a participant instead of a facilitator and certainly the same old principles of learning apply - you get out as much out of the training as you put in and you learn so much from your fellow participants.

To give you a preview of what we learnt, have a look at some of the photos of the group in action:

HR Week 2007

I ran a session at the NSW AHRI week on talent retention strategies in call centres.
Callan McDonnell from Suncorp shared the stage to share a case study of what Suncorp had done to improve retention in their high volume areas.
We described the initial situation to the group of attendees and asked them to suggest ideas of what they would have done to work towards a higher retention level.
Here is a sampling of some of their suggestions:

• Introduce a rewards and incentive process toboost levels of morale
• Re-frame job titles to give a greater sense of meaning to the role and also to demonstrate that their positions are appreciated
• Introduce clear progression pathways
• Set a development program
  
• Introduce a rotation system if possible
• If possible, personalise the desks and introduce a well-being program
• Set clearer expectations of what the job is about and build the employment brand
• Conduct a culture survey of staff to determine what staff expectations are
• Look at a more structured management system that understands competencies requirements and routes for advancement
• Create more opportunities for fun at work
• Streamline recruitment processes to also allow for flexibility
• Introduce a mentoring program for team leaders
• During the recruitment interview show both the positive and negative aspects of the job
• Introduce assessment centres to look at applicability of person to the role

Transport Supervisory program

Toll’s new Transport Supervisor Program targets our unsung heroes!
Over sixty-five of Toll’s unsung heroes – its frontline supervisors and managers - have enlisted in the ‘Transport Supervisor Program’, an initiative of Toll Personnel. The program is a ten-day training workshop which leads to them to gaining the highly valued Certificate IV in Frontline Management qualification.
The course is conducted in non-consecutive days and focuses on issues which face all frontline manager; including teamwork, communication, conflict resolution OH&S and conflict management. Participants represent the whole spectrum of Toll Group’s.
Tanya Mittiga, organiser of the program sees this as an opportunity to both crystallise participants’ understanding of management issues as well as network with colleagues from Toll’s different divisions; “It’s so exciting to see our frontline managers so keen to learn and share their ideas about effective management”, “Our supervisors and front-line managers really are responsible for generating Toll’s bottom line - so it’s great to be able to offer them a chance for professional and career development”.
The training is conducted in a hands-on manner, with brief lectures punctuated by activities, discussions, role-plays as well as presentation skills workshops. Participants have also been lucky enough to have guest speakers from around the Toll group.
Upon completion of the course, participants will be eligible for their Certificate IV in Frontline Management - a highly valued, nationally recognised qualification. Ambitious participants can even continue their studies by enrolling into a Diploma in Frontline Management.
Gavin Wedell, head facilitator of Management Consultancy International, the Registered Training Organisation conducting the training says that response to the program has been overwhelmingly positive; “The frontline managers really are the unsung heroes in any organisation. These are the men and women at the coal-face of the business. All too often we see insufficient attention paid to them, so it’s great to see the Toll Group being so proactive in offering professional development for its supervisors.” “What’s also so nice is that the training is heavily focussed around people skills - it’s not unusual for our frontline managers to have never had any formal training in management, with many having worked their way up to management roles in the organisation. What we’re giving these guys is a chance to crystallise what they’ve already learned on the job about management and also a chance to learn some new ideas to bolster their effectiveness.”