LEGO SERIOUS PLAY in action!

The power of LEGO SERIOUS PLAY is incredible! It still astounds me how the use of 3D models combined with story-telling can transform a session from something mundane into an opportunity to explore and capture new ideas.
We have had such break-throughs in recent sessions that I have felt invigorated as a trainer and had the sense that yes - training can work and be an effective tool for change.
We ran a team-building session for a group where there is a division between 2 parts of the business. Groups were building walls and barriers and showing their models as silos.
The one part of the business has animosity towards the other part and did not have many people attend the session - they bailed out at the last moment with excuses.
One staff member from this section was brave enough to come.
He listened intently to what others were telling about their models and slowly his body language started to change - he removed his hooded jacket and sat forward more readily.
When it came to landscaping the common view of the team, he slowly starting talking more.
And then when it came to connecting himself into the landscaped model, he grabbed his model of himself and placed it slap bang in the middle of the whole landscape and said:
"I realise that I have to make more of an effort to connect with everyone if this is going to work."
Unbelievably big of him and what a huge step in the right direction.
Can you imagine if we could achieve this with all the groups we facilitate?
In another session, we had someone placing the green curly flag on the floor of her model - she said that this reflected the status quo of the business which is full of noxious weeds....
The language and the use of metaphor is so strong and she immediately had everyone's attention.

2008 Transport Supervisor Program Kicks Off!

Last year MCI successfully ran the first 'Transport Supervisor Program', a customised program for entry-level managers in transport and logistics. With eight full-day sessions, the course lead to the Certificate IV in Business (Frontline Management) qualification.

As one of MCI's facilitation team working on the program, it was a privilege to work with these hard-working, often neglected managers. Transport is a backbone industry of the Australian economy.

The 2007 program finished in October, this week heralds the beginning of the 2008 Transport Supervisor program. We've just run the first course day in Brisbane and Sydney. It is amazing to see how our frontline managers take to the learning process with gusto and enthusiasm!

One idea that really stood out for me as a training facilitator during our first sessions is the importance of managers having facilitation skills. Even in the transport industry, managers need to have honed their communication skills so they can run toolbox talks, get teams together to plan activities, set ground-rules and make consensus decisions in an environment not usually known for its collaborative management culture.

In our opening course for the program we discuss the importance of setting team goals. I'm reminded of the importance of involving workers to ensure team members feel a sense of involvement in organisational goals. In his book 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People', Steve Covey discusses the importance of involvement in fostering commitment and an emotional connection to the goals of an organisation. Although i think that Covey is somewhat over-quoted, that particular idea really resonates with me. The ability of frontline managers to keep team meetings informal and collaborative can really help them achieve a real sense of buy-in and ownership of the decided outcomes from their team.

I'm looking forward to learning more from our transport supervisors as we roll-out the program over the coming month and a half in all State and Territory capital cities as well as four regional centres.

Informal Learning - the other 80%

I went to another interesting breakfast under the auspices of AHRI with guest speaker Neysa King, Leader of L and D at American Express. Some of her thoughts are summarised below:
1. She asked the group to give some thought to what impact the following areas have on L and D- organisational factors
external factors
employees
technology.
2. There is a definite paradox between learning input and learning output and the research is indicating that 80% of learning happens informally. We therefore can't leave this to chance.
3. At American Express, 2 key elements underpin informal learning - fostering learning communities and providing people with the right skills to learn effectively in informal settings.
4. Informal learning tends to be unstructured, short, self-guided and it doesn't involve travel expenses! People learn informally through observation, through coming together to problem solve, attending meetings, coaching sessions, newsletters and chatting to colleagues. It is just in time learning that happens in short bites and relates to what "I need to know how to do right now".
5. One of the key competitive edges that an organisation has is related to its knowledge capital and how do you ensure that this rich learning is spread through the organisation? The people who create the most value in an organisation are those who know the right people, the right stuff and the right thing to do".
6. Employees who have the capacity to learn are more versatile in adapting to future conditions.
and if the organisation can create a platform where conversations are fostered, the knowledge of the organisation will be better harnessed. This entails a shift towards a learner-centric culture where modules are delivered in short, sharp ways with lots of flexibility and peer mentoring is included.
7.AMEX has adapted a radio-type format that includes 'best practice calls'. This is not top-down driven and instead includes the kind of information that learners want to know about. People can jump in and listen to any part of the 45 minute call and the calls are also recorded and kept for 90 days.
8. In addition, mentors are being trained in how to ask the right questions. Look no further than the techniques used by Andrew Denton in Enough Rope programs for some tips on how to do this.
9. The gen Y style of learning has implications for informal learning. The expectations are for peer discussions in a safe environment as well as elearning. Don't measure success rates by completion of elearning programs though as they rarely complete - they get the information they need and move on.
10. Team leaders are provided with templates, movie clips and activities for team meetings so that they can engage team members and ensure that the learning that is needed is conveyed in short chunks.

Management and Leadership

What a pleasure to listen to John Stewart, Group CEO of NAB. I went to a luncheon today where he spoke and his easy-going, relaxed style certainly was a show-stopper.
He spoke about the possibilities of a recession and also the profitability of Australian banks.
What really struck me was how he used the power of story-telling and used metaphors to enliven the main points he was making and also to ensure audience engagement.
In order to make the point that the markets overseas are over-heated and are over-reacting to situations, he made this analogy:
If everyone in this room agreed to do business together BUT there was one person in the room who had a contagious disease. If you simply touched that person, you would catch the disease, what would you do?
This is what is happening in the markets, where investors have perceived problems in one sector and has over-reacted by not doing business anywhere at all.
John could be a roving ambassador for LEGO SERIOUS PLAY. He is able to get messages across through the power of stories and through the use of analogies - all that LEGO SERIOUS PLAY stands for.
John ended his discussion with a plea to establish centres of excellence in Australia so that young people don't leave to take up positions elsewhere in the world. We need to keep investing in education at all levels, he said.

LEGO SERIOUS PLAY

We continue to have the most amazing interest in the methodology behind LEGO SERIOUS PLAY. Our sessions are sell-outs and the level of input from attendees is astounding. We are learning so much about a range of different organisations and what their current challenges are.
There is definitely a common thread that is noticeable - that organisations and teams are dealing with substantial changes in their structure and in their vision. Groups have been sharing insight into these changes and how managers and their teams are struggling to cope with the enormity of the changes and the substantial challenges that these changes have generated.
Through using the LEGO SERIOUS PLAY process, the groups have shared stories about feelings that the group is experiencing and the disarray that they sense around them. Some groups have seen the positive side but others simply feel that they are overwhelmed.
This is really where LEGO SERIOUS PLAY comes into its own. The process allows the participants to tell their stories and work through issues in a non-threatening way. This serves as the opening of the pressure valve and creates non-pressurised time to express feelings and allow others an insight into the mood of the team.
These are some of the models built in the breakfast sessions that became metaphors for challenges and for the experiences of team members.

LEGO Serious Play

The LEGO Serious Play methodology once again proves that its versatility and power. We used the bricks as a way of introducing a discussion around major changes that were going to be implemented in an organisation.
The challenges posed to the group included - what do you currently enjoy about your present role and what are the challenge and what are the challenges that you see coming up for the team over this period of change.
It was simply amazing to see the most incredible models that were buit and the heartfelt stories that were told by all team members. Those experiencing physical pains as a result of the changes in their environment as well as stories about how they see the road ahead.
The session served as a type of catharsis and allowed all participants to participate without any single player dominating the conversation. There was a lot of discussion about how to deal with the changes and cope with the feelings of anger and isolation that were being felt in the team.
A model of the brighter future was constructed towards the end of the session and there was overall a more positive sense that this was achievable.
I am more convinced than ever that the methodology around LEGO Serious Play ensures that teams hold deeper conversations and more meaningful discussions when the power of play is involved. I have read all the theorists pondering on the differences between instructionism and constructionism - but when you see it happening in front of you with teams who are genuinely in the grips of some really scary change and who can for the first time see a clear path ahead....that is very powerful.

2008 Professional Development

At the end of last year I completed my Diploma in Training and Assessment (TAA05). It was a mommoth task and it highlighted to me the importance of maintaining on-going records for professional development purposes.
I started to realise that continuous professional development (CPD) is a question of setting yourself objectives for development and then charting your progress towards achieving them. It's about where you want to be, and how you plan to get there. I needed to reflect and focus on outcomes and results, rather than on how many courses I had attended.
I started to capture useful experiences and had to assess the practical benefits of what I had learned. I had to think about - what can I do now that you couldn’t do before? It’s so much about what I did, but how I can use what I learnt
As a learning and development professional I think that it is critical to have a responsibility to keep your skills and knowledge up to date. It makes you more accountable and ensures that the advice that you are giving out is from the standpoint of current knowledge.
I think that going through this reflective process is an investment in yourself. It’s a way of planning your development that links learning directly to practice. CPD ensures that you keep your skills up to date, and prepares you for greater responsibilities.
I believe that it definitely strengthens your professional credibility and helps you become more creative in tackling new challenges that are bound to crop up in 2008!