It is amazing to see how we have all been challenged on a steep learning curve, to become familiar with new ways of working, to adapt to a new work-life balance and to learn new digital tools. We have managed to keep the wheels of everyday business running in a world dominated by a pandemic. As these wheels spin, the next challenge is already ahead: what will be the ‘new corporate normal’ and how should we respond to it in a way that leads to sustainable results for our businesses and happiness for the people who work there?
Recently, we worked with a couple of teams who already wanted to address these challenges. They decided to do so in an online working space, not waiting for the face to face era to come back. In just a couple of hours, 24 people identified shared values and overall spirit of their identity as a team. They sense-made about how they collaborate as a remote team and how each of them contributes to the team, now and in the future. And most importantly, they came up with 24 actionable ideas on how to balance work/life and collaborate better in the future.
An open and playful online workshop environment helped them to share insights and ideas, create shared understanding and bond socially. Last but not least, they looked like having a lot of fun during the session, even when it was online!
Be sure, there was no magic involved, SERIOUS PLAY® and a bunch of LEGO® bricks helped us as facilitators to guide them through the process. Again and again, it strikes us how fast people build up shared knowledge and feel committed to action when focusing on three things:
- Radically change the approach of the workshop from ‘work’ to ‘play’ mode and use a physical media to support this (the LEGO® bricks).
- Create a safe environment in which there is no right and wrong and where personal and authentic contributions to the dialogue are valued.
- Give your brain a hand to unleash the imagination.
No rocket science as you can see, although the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method is highly researched. If you are interested in the theoretical foundation of the method and how to apply it in your organization, just send us an email on contact@inthrface.com or check our website for more information. Same if you would like to try it out with your team or organization.