On March 7, 2012, Canadian Fellows of the Royal Society for the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) and Friends of the Society met in Vancouver to discuss the strategic direction for the group going forward. The evening was kindly sponsored by University Canada West. “It was a splendid evening that sparked a great deal of solid, forward-looking discussion from everyone,” stated Dr. Charles McCaffray, who helped to organize the event.

Approximately fifty five people participated and Lynn Broadbent, Fellowship Director from Washington, D.C., joined the group for the occasion. “It was lots of fun and a really interesting approach to creative thinking,” said Ms. Broadbent.

Around the world, fellows are utilizing design thinking to address social issues ranging from prison reform to revitalization of local libraries. LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™ is a great tool to facilitate design thinking processes. Stephen Murgatroyd and Charles McCaffray reviewed pressing issues being addressed globally, and narrowed the list to nine hot button topics they felt were relevant today in Canada.

Graphic posters displayed around the room indicated the nine areas for discussion. The groups self-sorted by selecting a topic they felt passionate about for small group work. The topics included:

1. Public Engagement and Collaboration: To enhance neighborhood police services
2. Improving Substance Abuse Services: Through the engagement and support of drug users
3. Making Connections for New Canadians: Working to ensure a sustainable future
4. Transformation of Local Libraries: Creating business hubs for lifelong learning
5. The Social Enterprising Prison: Creating programs for inmates to give back, while building needed skill sets
6. Rethinking Education: Creating systems and practices that are truly learner centered
7. Easing Social Isolation and Loneliness of Seniors: Through service redesign
8. People Centered Cities: Creating better public space that’s lively, healthy, attractive, sustainable, and safe
9. Energy and the environment: The path forward

Small groups, comprised of five to seven people, were formulated and worked together using systematic creativity facilitated by members of the Strategicplay® Group from Vancouver. Individually and also in teams, the groups used LEGO® bricks to build 3Dimensional metaphors to gain a deeper understanding of these complex issues. The facilitated discussions allowed participants to see, hear, and experience rich conversations, to unearth perspectives from all participants.

Clearly, from the participation and energy in the room, there was great interest in the topics. Next steps include the formulation of a planning committee, which will work with the larger group to narrow the focus areas down to three topics with the aim of putting serious action projects together. The group also hopes to attract new members. So if these topics interest you, please review the RSA website and consider joining their next discussion: http://www.thersa.org

For more information on Strategic Play with LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™
In the America’s visit: www.strategicplay.ca
In EU visit: www.strategicplay.de

                          

StrategicPlay® with LEGO® Bricks: Why it Works

How many times have you attended training or a meeting and thought it was a waste of time? Organizations in North America cannot afford to do this anymore. And life is too short to be bored by another PowerPoint or lecture about some discombobulated concept.

Did you know that LEGO® bricks can help you communicate better and help your brain think?  Do you remember dissecting that frog in high school?  Most people do but no one remembers the lecture. This method works in the same way. Our StrategicPlay® sessions are specifically developed to help people think and perform at their highest level, remembering and retaining information.

We do this by engaging minds with highly visual, tactile, and auditory methods within an experiential framework. This process allows the brain to effectively discover new information and then store it in long-term memory, where it can be pulled back up later when needed back at the office.

Here’s how it works. When problem solving, the brain is actually quite ineffective. It uses the frontal cortex, which cannot store more than seven things at once. Ever forgot what you were doing? In our sessions we use 3D LEGO® models that participants create, called artifacts. Artifacts hold large amounts of information, freeing up the working memory to rapidly think and process the next piece of information quickly. We know that words are not enough so we dig deep into the subconscious mind, a true treasure trove full of ideas and knowledge that is hard to access through the limitations of speech. Imagine your hands working like a Google Search Engine, finding all the pieces you need. The power of what you build can surprise even the builder.

Strategicplay® will get you into the learning zone and keep you there. We are not playing or creating for fun or sheer joy, but for learning connected directly to the objectives of the session. The process occurs in real time, meaning that it is not hypothetical but relevant now and has real meaning for the participant.

The true power of this application comes from the ability of the process to help people think for themselves in experiential situations that are specific to their work. The fact that people enjoy these sessions so much they lose track of time is no accident. It is actually part of the design.

But don’t just read this because you might forget. Come, see, do, and learn for yourself at the StrategicPlay® Session in Atlanta, Georgia -Training 2012.

When you attend you will:

1. Receive a set of special LEGO® bricks to keep at your desk to use to solve your next problem.
2. Learn to demonstrate this tool to impress your boss and co-workers.
3. See how companies around the world are using this method for onboarding, training, team development, leadership, diversity, project management, strategy, and more.

P.S. Don’t forget your camera—you’re going to want to show your friends what you build.

You can visit us at: www.strategicplay.ca

Like us on FB: https://www.facebook.com/strategicplay

Follow us on Twitter: strategicplay

                          

Where: Burlington, Ontario, Canada (Toronto Area)
When: December 3 & 4, 2011
Who: Jacqueline Lloyd Smith, MA, MBA, (ATR), (CMC) – Certified Canadian Management Consultant
What: Specialized training for coaches, leadership professionals, branding professionals, HR and learning and development professionals, therapists, business development professionals, university professors, teachers, anyone who helps people get clear about their identity, understand more about their style and preferences, set performance goals, and create solid implementation plans. Using these hands-on methods will help you deliver enormous benefits to your internal and external clients.
Find out why organizations like the Royal Bank of Canada, the Canadian Coast Guard College and the City of Mississauga use these tools to develop their high potential leaders.
To read more about this unique training opportunity, please visit:

http://www.strategicplay.ca/article/facilitator-training-with-lego-bricks-119.asp

You can download the training brochure and registration form along with our newest brochure on why Strateicplay® methods stick.
Strategicplay – leading the way in North America!
Or call toll free anywhere in North America at: 1-888-238-2608

                          

In August of 2010, Phil Culhane attended the Strategic Play™ Facilitator Training offered in Vancouver. He is now facilitating workshops with a variety of people working in organizations.

In an email that he sent me he commented:

“One of the things I’m noticing is that laughter starts VERY quickly whenever we use the Strategic Play tool based on the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™ process. Laughter fosters openness and trust; and laughter dispels fear. This is so helpful to my facilitation because barriers start dropping far more quickly than when we use more traditional, talk-based engagements. With talk, it takes about three hours to break through the walls and get to the underlying issues. When working with LEGO® models it takes about 45 minutes, more than three times faster. And when we consider the ROI of hosting a small or large group event, it’s important that we get to the core of the matter as fast as possible.”

What people are really discovering is that this process makes people happy. Just seeing LEGO® bricks on the boardroom tables makes them smile. When they are laughing and smiling together they feel energized. When people are having fun they are clearly happier.

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a leading expert in positive psychology, has written extensively on the topic of happiness within the workplace. He believes that people will expend extraordinary effect when they feel happy and this leads to employees having a higher moral.

Barbara Fredrickson, a professor of psychology at the University of North Carolina agrees. She found that happier teams were more creative in their thinking when they looked for solutions to their problems. She also discovered that people are more open to learning and thinking about new concepts and will set higher goals for themselves when they are happier.

Leaders who find happiness in their work and communicate their happiness to their teams are more likely to attract and infect their team members with positive energy.

The list of the benefits to happiness is almost endless. They include everything from better health, a higher degree of stamina, and resilience. So if you want to add some laughter, fun and happiness to your organization – think about including LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™.

                          

With StrategicPlay^® we focus and solve problems in a brain-friendly way.

We will show in several blog articles how Strategic Play^® is connected it to main principles of neuroscience. For deeper information please follow David Rock on Twitter or read his book “Your brain at work”! We also recommend to watch David Rock’s Google TechTalk.

The background: The prefrontal cortex is responsible for decision-making and problem solving. Unfortunately, this part of the brain has limited resources for this kind of activity. Every time we have to work on an idea consciously, we use up this limited resource. In order to use our resources efficiently we need to adapt our way of problem solving.

Which means: Minimize energy usage to maximize performance!

How do we do that?

FOCUS!

First of all, it is easier to concentrate if we get the things out of our head and onto the table.  With 3D modeling and hands-on prototyping of systems with LEGO we succeed in having a unique result that creates both:

• An abstract overview of different models as a whole system;

and

• The most relevant information in detail within the models.

During this process you use you brain to INTERACT with information rather than trying to STORE it. The process allows your brain to decide which issue has the highest priority so that you can concentrate on the most relevant tasks first.

Some reasons why StrategicPlay^® helps us during this activity:

1. Pictures, metaphors or storytelling activate the visual cortex in the back of the brain.
2. The brain has become very early accustomed to creating mental images, visualizing objects and people interacting. So people solve problems faster when it’s explained in terms of people interacting.
3. Visuals are more information-efficient than words. At one glance you hold the image of people and objects and all their information. With systems built of LEGO bricks you can see in 3D the complex relationships of the objects, their characteristics, sizes, height, shapes and their relative position.

Objects become artifacts that hold information. This is why images and models allow us to think so much better than when we try to use disembodied conceptual ideas.

The next part of our blog series will cover “Simplified Complexity”!

                          

Click here and witness the history and evolution of STRATEGICPLAY™…

                          

Playing for Survival

In his book “Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination and Invigorates the Soul”, Stuart Brown, M.D., explains that not only have scientist proven that play is needed and used within the animal kingdom for survival, but that play allows the player to gain new insights, test new behaviours, and develop new strategies. John Byers, an animal play scholar speculates that during play our brain is actually making sense of itself though simulation and testing. In landmark research conducted by Marian Diamond in 1960, concluded that play has an important role in brain development, and it is not just the act of playing but the interaction of playing with ideas within an enriched environment, that term enriched environment speaks to the interplay between people and ideas.

Diamond discovered play is one of the most advanced methods that nature has developed for the complex brain to create itself.  Within the business world, Strategic Play™ allows us the opportunity to imagine new possibilities and situations that never existed before, and most importantly can create to make the future better. This occurs during the process of play as the brain experiences rapid growth and neurons connect, disconnect and reconnect as the brain organizes information and learns.  The process of play helps the brain to develop and prepare for the unexpected and create conscious and subconscious contingency plans that are agile and ready to adapt to the changing business landscape.

In today’s business world the idea of play for plays sake or for developing strategic thinking is not really acceptable. The game of golf, which is a stage of play called “games with rules”, has been referred to as the “green corporate board room” and this does seem to be an acceptable way for adult business people to play.  After spending four hours together they can assess if their colleague cheats or embellishes and the players may emerge with a new sense of who the other player is based on their interpretation or respect for the rules.

But when we dig deeper into an element of play which is referred to as “making things” we can see many inventions that we use today actually came from the pure act of play.  The airplane and the steam engine were first toys, and wind-up toys lead to the development of the clock.  Fireworks came before the cannon and so we can see the act of playing with things for amusement has often lead to the development of useful things.

It is also clear the brain can not benefit from play when it’s faced with immediate danger and must react in order to survive.  So it is also clear for Strategic Play™ to work and be of great benefit, organizations must build play and playful opportunities into their daily activities, systems and processes.  And for Strategic Play to be of maximum benefit, scenarios must be tested randomly – there is no point for the manager to play out a situation that he has already experienced and has decided upon the answer or path forward. In fact the randomness of play is needed for full maximum learning and as such the Strategic Play™ facilitator leads the players through a process needed to fully maximize from the benefits of Strategic Play™.

These are some reasons why Lloyd Smith Solutions (www.lloydsmith.com) uses Strategic Play™ and why we see the value of play at work – this is the beginning of a play movement and we will continue to bring new ideas to this blog that we can all play with together.

                          

For years many innovative management consultants, who pondered the value of play within organizations, conducted their work in isolation. After all, the idea of ‘play at work’ in Western society seemed a bit eccentric and not widely valued. However, when a handful of consultants met in Denmark in 2006, and began to collaborate, we recognized that we are seeing patters emerging globally. Collectively, we have identified that not only are business situations becoming more complex but that the old systems that people have depended upon for years are not only out of date, but are actually doomed for failure. Many organizations continue to insist that old successful patters will continue to bring the same results. They might be right as we cannot see into the future. But it is more likely that change has occurred slowly and insidiously over time taking them off guard. Due to past successes these organizations may not yet be uncomfortable enough to change. Those that have recognized that their old approach will now sabotage their future success, come to us open to try a new approach.
The new approach is one that we call Strategic Play. It comes from a basic premise that we are all hardwired for play. For managers to be able to successfully adapt in a changing business world they need to be able to engage their imaginations and play with ideas in a place that is safe. In this way play allows the player to have a type of dress rehearsal and prepare for the subtleties of the changing business environment and function comfortably with ambiguity. Within the Strategic Playroom everyone on the team can test out a theory, a hunch or a tried and true method and see if it will continue to bring successful results without putting their reputation or companies assets on the line. They can gather information from scenario testing that can be adjusted, built upon, or scraped all together without doing any damage. But at the same rate through play their imagination can form new cognitive combinations that will likely develop an innovative idea. The team can then spring board into the next combination of ideas bringing great clarity to the situation. In a playful approach, nothing is lost but only gained and the team leaves the Strategic Playroom feeling engaged, activated and focused with an accurate shared mental model.
Keep in mind, what we do is not just play for play sake, as we use applied systematic creative play. The activities are lead by a trained creative facilitator that sets both the stage and the rules of engagement. The play is focused and structured enough with developed etiquettes that create the layers needed for building blocks that take the player into deeper and deeper levels where the brain continues to function at both conscious and subconscious levels. It is through this process that the participants emerge with new insights. These insights may bring immediate actionable items or may percolate as the neurons within the brain connect, get tested and then sometimes break away and reconnect getting stronger and ready to put ideas into action, ready when the situation changes.
The fact that people enjoy the process of strategic play so much that they loose track of time is not just an accident, it is built into the approach. When we find ourselves fully in the zone, this is the state that psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called “flow” or the “flow zone”. This zone allows for the brain to think better and faster.
Research indicates that those who engage in this process of play are not only better able to problem solve but they are actually developing a higher social IQ. It’s clear in the changing world, and specifically for business a changing global economic environment, those who are able to “think quickly and respond strategically” are in demand over those who are just able to “do”.
These are the reasons why the Strategic Playroom (www.strategicplayroom.com) is on the cutting edge of organizational and team development including the use of playful and powerful techniques like the LEGOⓇ SERIOUS PLAY™ Methodology. We see the value of play at work – there are many more posting to come, so please stay tuned and we will continue to bring new ideas to this blog that we can all play with together.

                          

When you hear the word creative, do you think of people working in a high priced advertising agency? Maybe you picture starving artists creating political statements out of recycled materials. And when you hear the word imagination, do you think of young children telling amazing stories and drawing wonderful pictures? It is interesting to note that most people in the corporate world think they lost their imagination somewhere in public school. These same people are quick to announce, “I’m not creative.” The truth is, we use creative imagination everyday—every time we develop a business plan, write a budget, or make dinner. In order to think about something that has not happened yet, we use imagination.

The ability to think creatively is now more important than ever, as the world is changing rapidly and we are all asked to do more with less. Many corporations are outsourcing skilled labour such as engineering, accounting, and software writing. North Americans and Europeans watch as left brain jobs go to countries asking for lower incomes. Innovation is a right brain activity, which comes from the ability to use imagination. It could be one of the ways North American businesses gain a greater foothold in the world market during this economic slowdown. The Economist Magazine calls innovation the next big economy, following the Knowledge Economy. And now Business week is calling it the Creative Economy.

General Electric, Procter & Gamble, and Google all understand the Creative Economy and they are working to capitalize. They all recognize their greatest asset is the potential that lies in their human resources. They not only create environments that support ideation and collaboration, but they also create time and space. It is difficult to be creative when your time is taken up on task completion.

For many of us, the words creative and creativity have negative connotations. We often think of creativity as being an indulgent past time. And many parents know the arts programs are the first to go when public school systems experience cutbacks. But wait, before you cut those arts programs, remember businesses need creative thinkers who can solve those problems we have not yet encountered or solved.

Clearly some people are more creative than others. But we can all become more creative. There is a way to develop that creative muscle. First we need to recognize the power of creativity and imagination and see this as an available tool that is accessible to all of us. In the Strategic Playroom we use systematic creativity and innovative training to take our clients through a process that generates better solutions. We use whole brain thinking, 3D tools to tap into the hidden potential that is locked away in the underused right brain.

If you are interested in using our facilitation tools, you can attend our train the trainer workshops to learn how we use creative facilitation techniques. Build your training skills and become certified in this unique innovative program and create your own Strategic Playroom.