Why LEGO® Serious Play® works: The cognitive foundations
This is part 1 of a four-part series on why LEGO® Serious Play® works.
As a certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator, I’ve been leading workshops across organisations lately, and I’m often introducing participants to the methodology for the first time. The question I hear most frequently is: “Why does this actually work?”
It’s a fair question. On the surface, building with LEGO® bricks in a professional setting might seem unconventional, even playful in a way that feels at odds with “serious” work. But when I witness participants who entered the room hesitant and uncertain transform into engaged collaborators (building not just LEGO® models, but genuine understanding and connection) I know the methodology is tapping into something profound.
The answer to “why does it work?” lies in a fascinating convergence of cognitive science, learning theory, and human psychology. Let me show you the science behind the bricks.
The theoretical foundation: more than child's play
LEGO® Serious Play® isn’t just a clever application of toy bricks to business problems. The methodology rests on a solid theoretical foundation that combines multiple streams of scientific research, making it one of the most evidence-based facilitation approaches available today.
At its core, the methodology draws from constructivism and constructionism, two complementary learning theories that explain how we build knowledge (Kristiansen & Rasmussen, 2014). Constructivism, developed by Jean Piaget, proposes that we produce knowledge and meaning based on what we experience and how we actively interact with the world (Piaget, 1999). Building on this foundation, constructionism, developed by Seymour Papert, focuses on how individuals learn most effectively when they construct both mental and physical models of what they experience (Harel & Papert, 1991).
In other words, we learn more efficiently when we build with our hands, as it is an effective way to encourage thinking.
The methodology also integrates complex adaptive system theory and autopoietic corporate epistemology, creating a comprehensive framework that helps people in organizations see their challenges in new ways and develop innovative approaches to those challenges (Roos & Victor, 2018).
The hand-mind connection: Why building matters
One of the most compelling aspects of LEGO® Serious Play® is its reliance on hands-on construction. This isn’t arbitrary. It’s grounded in neuroscience research on embodied cognition.
Embodied cognition theory proposes that our mental activities are deeply rooted in our bodily experiences, and that the mind is not only connected to the body but also influenced by it (Onishi & Makioka, 2022). Recent neuroscience studies have demonstrated that constraining hand movement actually affects the processing of object-meaning, supporting the idea that our hands play a crucial role in how we think and understand concepts (Onishi & Makioka, 2022).
When we use our hands to build with LEGO® bricks, we access knowledge, past experiences, intuition, and understanding that we cannot effectively express through speech alone (Nienaber & Kriszan, 2023). The act of physical manipulation creates deeper cognitive connections, allowing participants to explore complex ideas in ways that purely verbal discussion cannot achieve. This aligns with research showing that hands are centrally involved in cognitive processes and that manual manipulation extends our cognitive capabilities (Ritter & Haschke, 2015).
This is why participants often report insights like “I didn’t know I thought that until I built it.” The hands literally help the mind discover what it knows.
The flow state: When challenge meets skill
Another key reason LEGO® Serious Play® works so effectively is its ability to create flow states. Flow theory, developed by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, describes the mental state in which a person is fully immersed in an activity with energized focus, full involvement, and enjoyment (Csíkszentmihályi, 1990).
Flow occurs when the challenge of a task matches an individual’s skill level, creating optimal conditions for engagement and learning (Csíkszentmihályi & Csíkszentmihályi, 1988). The LEGO® Serious Play® methodology deliberately creates these conditions through its structured process. Participants receive clear, proximal goals through facilitator questions, immediate feedback through their building process, and appropriately challenging tasks that require focused attention without overwhelming them.
Research has consistently shown that when people experience flow, they demonstrate higher levels of engagement, concentration, and enjoyment, leading to better information recall and enhanced problem-solving abilities (Schüler & Brunner, 2009). The building process in LEGO® Serious Play® naturally induces these flow states, making the experience both productive and intrinsically rewarding.
In my workshops, I see this happening in real time. Participants become so absorbed in building their models that time seems to disappear. The usual workplace anxieties fade away, replaced by focused creativity and genuine engagement.
From cognition to communication
The cognitive foundations of LEGO® Serious Play®, constructionist learning, embodied cognition, and flow states, create powerful conditions for deep engagement and genuine understanding. But how do these individual cognitive processes translate into better communication and collaboration?
In Part 2, we’ll explore how LEGO® Serious Play® transforms the way groups communicate through metaphor and creates conditions for equal participation, two critical elements for effective co-creation.
- Csíkszentmihályi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience. Harper & Row.
- Csíkszentmihályi, M., & Csíkszentmihályi, I. S. (1988). Optimal experience: Psychological studies of flow in consciousness. Cambridge University Press.
- Harel, I., & Papert, S. (1991). Constructionism. Ablex Publishing.
- Kristiansen, P., & Rasmussen, R. (2014). Building a better business using the LEGO® Serious Play® method. Wiley.
- Nienaber, B., & Kriszan, A. (2023). Thinking with the hands: LEGO® Serious Play® a game-based tool to empower young migrants integrating. Migration Letters, 20(3), 443–452.
- Onishi, S., & Makioka, S. (2022). Hand constraint reduces brain activity and affects the speed of verbal responses on semantic tasks. Scientific Reports, 12, 13236.
- Piaget, J. (1999). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood. Routledge & Kegan Paul.
- Ritter, H., & Haschke, R. (2015). Hands, dexterity, and the brain. In G. Cheng (Ed.), Humanoid robotics and neuroscience: Science, engineering and society. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.
- Roos, J., & Victor, B. (2018). How it all began: The origins of LEGO® Serious Play®. International Journal of Management and Applied Research, 5(4), 326-343.
- Schüler, J., & Brunner, S. (2009). The rewarding effect of flow experience on performance in a marathon race. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 10(1), 168-174.
