Corporate team building comes in many forms, from trust exercises and paint ball battles to the often dreaded ice breakers. Here at lotus823, the typical exercises just wouldn’t cut it. Read on to see our experience with a team building methodology just hitting the USA.
Plato once said, “You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than you can from a lifetime of conversation”. The lotus823 team experienced this first hand last week as we participated in a workshop using the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology. LSP is designed to enhance innovation and business performance through hands-on, minds-on learning. The methodology opens up effective dialogue among colleagues leading to a greater understanding of not only your company but one another as well.
Maureen Ennis is one of the few certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitators in the US. Her company thrive seeks to help companies develop strategic change through the LSP methodology. While thrive also offers programs aimed at developing new corporate strategies and creating a more productive workplace, our afternoon was focused squarely on what made up our culture here at lotus823.
Our team’s main objective was to identify lotus823’s core values and determine what they meant to us not only individually but as a whole as well. The thrive team turned the lotus823 conference room table into a sea of colored bricks and our experience began.
First we worked independently, using the LEGO® bricks to answer targeted questions – an approach that surprised some members of the team.
“I expected the team building exercises to be built around us as a company from the get-go, when in actuality it dug deeper into us on a personal level and didn’t circle back to the work that we do until the end of the session,” observed Christine Rochelle, Director of Digital Marketing & Operations.
Collaboration
Through the individual exercises the team was able to identify the values and qualities we want most from a workplace. It was no surprise that we soon found that these values represented lotus823 perfectly. Taking bits and pieces of our independent exercises we then separated into teams and were tasked to collaborate on one large piece that represented the culture of lotus823.
“I got to see how my co-workers felt about the company and their role at lotus823,” said Erin Cunningham, Assistant Account Executive. “The experience allowed me to think about how and where I fit into the company.”
The two teams determined that lotus823 is built on a several key qualities including: collaboration, passion, innovation and creativity. We all agreed that this all boiled down to teamwork, because without one another and our determination to reach a shared goal, everything would fall apart.
Encouragement and Support
We left the session with a greater understanding of one another and lotus823 as a company. The hands on approach of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology allowed us to express ourselves in distinctly different ways. Often in office settings workers have to stifle their natural instinct to play and fiddle with things. This experience was a welcomed change of pace, allowing for a flow of creativity that can now be applied to our work.
“The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® session was a blast,” said Katie Foley, Director of PR and Client Relations. “It was interesting to see people’s creativity coming to life and how differently the team interacted with each other when a new medium was involved.”
Curious to see how the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology can enhance your team? Head over to thrive’s website to learn more about their offerings.