LEGO Serious Play Workshops: What They Involve

What You Are Actually Trying to Work Out

If somebody in your organisation has mentioned LEGO® Serious Play® and you are trying to work out whether it is actually worth exploring, this article is written for you.

Not for facilitators or people already deep into the methodology. More for the person comparing options for a leadership off-site, a team session, or a piece of organisational development work and trying to understand what actually happens in the room.

LEGO Serious Play workshops are used across UK organisations in a surprisingly wide range of ways. Leadership alignment. Team development. Strategy. Culture work. Change programmes. Onboarding. Sometimes all within the same organisation.

What tends to connect those sessions is the quality of conversation they create. Participation becomes more equal. People speak more honestly. Teams leave with something more concrete than a flipchart full of half-remembered ideas.

This article looks at what a LEGO Serious Play workshop actually involves, who it works well for, what outcomes organisations usually see, and what to think about before booking a session in the UK.

What is a LEGO Serious Play workshop?

A LEGO Serious Play workshop is a facilitated session where participants build models using LEGO bricks in response to focused questions or challenges.

Those models then become the basis for discussion, reflection, problem-solving, and shared understanding.

Importantly, it is not simply a creative exercise or a team-building activity dressed up differently. The methodology has been used in organisational settings for more than 25 years and has developed into a structured facilitation approach with applications across leadership, strategy, culture, learning, and organisational change.

At the centre of the method is a fairly simple principle: everybody builds, everybody shares.

That changes group dynamics quickly. People who would normally stay quiet contribute more fully. Conversations move beyond polished or rehearsed responses. Teams often uncover assumptions and tensions that had been sitting underneath the surface for months.

If you want a broader introduction to the methodology itself first, What is LEGO Serious Play: An Introduction to the Methodology covers the foundations well.

What happens in a LEGO Serious Play workshop?

One of the biggest misconceptions people have before attending a session is that it will feel unstructured or improvised.

In reality, strong LEGO Serious Play facilitation is highly structured.

Most sessions begin with warm-up builds. These are designed to help participants become comfortable with building and sharing before moving into more meaningful organisational topics. This stage matters more than people often expect, particularly with senior teams who arrive slightly sceptical.

From there, the facilitator introduces questions linked directly to the objectives of the session. Participants build individual models in response. Those models are then shared and discussed as a group.

At this point, differences in perception often become visible quite quickly. People realise they are carrying very different assumptions about the same team, strategy, challenge, or organisational culture.

In longer sessions, groups usually move into shared model building. Teams physically construct collective models representing shared goals, future direction, organisational challenges, or systems they are working within.

Some of the most valuable conversations happen during the process of building together rather than after it. What gets included? What gets challenged? What compromises emerge? What tensions become visible?

Sessions usually close with structured reflection and agreed outputs. Shared models are photographed. Priorities and actions are documented. Teams leave with something tangible they can return to afterwards, not just the feeling that they had an interesting day.

Who are LEGO Serious Play workshops for?

One of the reasons the methodology has spread so widely is that it adapts surprisingly well across different types of groups.

In organisational settings, LEGO Serious Play workshops are commonly used with:

Leadership teams
Senior management groups
HR and L&D teams
Project and cross-functional teams
Newly merged or restructured teams
Graduate and talent programmes
Boards and executive groups
Organisations navigating change

Sessions generally work best with groups of around 6 to 20 people, though larger groups can work well with multiple facilitators or smaller working tables.

It is also worth addressing something directly: scepticism is normal. Particularly with senior leaders, analytical teams, or people who hear “LEGO workshop” and immediately assume the session will be lightweight or gimmicky. Experienced facilitators expect this. In practice, resistance usually fades quite quickly once the process begins because participants realise the methodology is far more reflective and commercially grounded than they expected.

What outcomes should you expect?

This is usually the real question sitting underneath everything else. What actually changes after a session?

A few patterns tend to appear consistently across organisations.

More honest participation

Because everybody builds and everybody shares, the usual meeting dynamics shift fairly quickly. Conversations stop being driven by only the loudest or most senior voices. People who normally contribute less often enter the discussion much more fully.

Shared understanding becomes visible

One of the more powerful aspects of LEGO Serious Play is that it makes differences in perception visible. Teams realise very quickly that people are carrying different assumptions about the same situation, often without fully recognising it beforehand. Once those assumptions are visible, teams can work with them properly.

The outputs feel tangible

Unlike many workshops, LEGO Serious Play sessions usually leave teams with something concrete: shared models, photographs, agreed priorities, documented reflections, language the team can return to afterwards. That changes how seriously the work tends to be taken once people are back in day-to-day organisational life.

Teams build more ownership

When groups physically build a shared model of a future direction or challenge together, the level of ownership tends to feel very different compared with being presented with a strategy deck or leadership presentation. People support what they help create.

Conversations finally happen

This is often the outcome people mention afterwards. Topics that have been avoided for months suddenly become discussable because the models create enough distance for people to talk honestly without conversations becoming defensive.

Typical workshop formats in the UK

Most UK organisations tend to run LEGO Serious Play workshops in one of a few formats.

Half-day workshops

Usually around two to three hours. These work well for introductions to the method, focused team challenges, or standalone sessions within a wider programme.

Full-day workshops

This is probably the most common format for leadership, strategy, and organisational development work. A full day creates enough space for deeper shared model building, systems exploration, reflection, and action planning.

Multi-session programmes

Some organisations use LEGO Serious Play across a longer development journey. Leadership teams may return to shared models built earlier in the programme as reference points for reviewing progress, navigating change, or revisiting strategic priorities.

In-house delivery

For organisations wanting to build internal capability over time, SERIOUSWORK also offers in-house training and facilitator development.

Most full-day leadership sessions in the UK tend to work best with groups of around 8 to 20 participants.

How to brief a LEGO Serious Play facilitator

The quality of the brief shapes the quality of the workshop. The strongest sessions are almost always designed around the organisation’s actual context rather than pulled from a standard template.

A few useful things to think about before approaching a provider:

What is the real challenge?

“Team building” is usually too broad on its own. Specificity helps. For example: “We have recently merged two leadership teams and need to build shared ways of working.” That gives a facilitator something meaningful to design around.

Who will be in the room?

Group size, seniority, organisational dynamics, existing tensions, and levels of scepticism all influence how sessions are structured.

What do you need to leave with?

Some organisations want strategic clarity. Others want alignment. Others need practical action plans or difficult conversations facilitated productively. The outputs shape the design.

What has already been tried?

If previous workshops have felt superficial or failed to produce meaningful change, a good facilitator will want to understand why before designing the session.

Practical considerations

Location, timings, hybrid working arrangements, room setup, and whether the workshop sits inside a broader programme all affect facilitation decisions. A good provider will usually spend significant time understanding these areas before proposing anything.

LEGO Serious Play workshops in London and across the UK

SERIOUSWORK delivers workshops throughout the UK, including London-based in-person sessions and online delivery for distributed or hybrid teams.

For London organisations, sessions can run either at your own venue or within a suitable central London location depending on group size and requirements.

Online delivery has also developed significantly over recent years. Rather than awkwardly adapting an in-person structure onto Zoom, remote LEGO Serious Play sessions are designed specifically for online participation. LEGO kits are sent to participants in advance and facilitation is structured differently to maintain the quality of participation and reflection.

For organisations operating across multiple locations, a combination of in-person and online delivery is also possible.

How much does a LEGO Serious Play workshop cost in the UK?

Workshop costs vary depending on session length, group size, complexity, facilitator experience, and the level of bespoke design work required.

As a rough guide:

Half-day UK sessions for teams of around 10 to 15 people often sit between £1,500 and £3,000
Full-day leadership or strategy workshops typically range from around £3,000 to £6,000 or above, depending on complexity

LEGO materials are usually included as part of the workshop fee.

For organisations comparing external facilitation against longer-term internal capability, LEGO Serious Play facilitator training and in-house training are both worth exploring.

Choosing the right LEGO Serious Play provider

Not all LEGO Serious Play facilitation feels the same in practice. A few useful questions to ask before booking:

Have they completed proper facilitator training?

The methodology requires structured training and experience applying it in organisational settings.

Do they design specifically around your context?

Generic workshops usually produce generic results. Good facilitators spend time understanding the organisation before designing anything.

Have they worked with similar groups before?

Leadership teams, public sector organisations, schools, charities, and commercial businesses all create very different facilitation dynamics. Relevant experience matters.

What experience sits behind their practice?

SERIOUSWORK has contributed extensively to the development of LEGO Serious Play over more than two decades, including four books authored by founder Sean Blair. That practical experience shapes both workshop design and facilitation style.

What do previous clients say?

Reviews and case studies are worth looking at carefully, particularly whether people describe the sessions as genuinely useful afterwards rather than simply enjoyable on the day.

Taking the next step

For most organisations, the starting point is simply a conversation. What is happening in the team currently? What conversations are not landing? Where does alignment feel weak? What needs to change?

From there, it becomes much easier to decide whether LEGO Serious Play is the right fit and what type of session would make the most sense.

Contact SERIOUSWORK directly to discuss your requirements.

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FAQ

What is a LEGO Serious Play workshop?

A facilitated workshop where participants build LEGO models in response to focused questions. Those models then become the basis for discussion, reflection, and shared understanding.

How much does a LEGO Serious Play workshop cost in the UK?

Half-day sessions typically range from around £1,500 to £3,000. Full-day leadership and strategy workshops generally range from £3,000 to £6,000 or above depending on complexity and facilitation requirements.

Is LEGO Serious Play available in London?

Yes. SERIOUSWORK delivers in-person workshops in London and across the UK. Get in touch to discuss your requirements.

How many people can attend a workshop?

Sessions generally work well from around 6 to 50 participants depending on the format and number of facilitators involved.

How long does a LEGO Serious Play workshop last?

Half-day workshops usually run for two to three hours. Full-day sessions are common for leadership, strategy, and organisational development work.

Do participants need previous experience with LEGO?

No. Warm-up exercises are designed specifically to make participants comfortable with the process before deeper work begins.

Can workshops be run online?

Yes. Online LEGO Serious Play workshops are available for distributed and hybrid teams across the UK.

What outputs does a workshop produce?

Shared models, documented reflections, agreed priorities, photographs, and action points teams can revisit afterwards.

How do we book a LEGO Serious Play workshop?

Contact SERIOUSWORK directly to discuss your organisation, objectives, and the type of session that would work best.