In today’s rapidly changing business landscape, uncertainty isn’t just a possibility—it’s a guarantee. Economic shifts, technological advancements, regulatory changes, and evolving customer expectations all create a complex environment where leaders must anticipate and adapt to the unknown. The ability to plan for multiple future scenarios isn’t just a competitive advantage; it’s a necessity for long-term business resilience.
Yet, traditional strategy meetings often fall short. Leaders may discuss risks and opportunities, but without a tangible, shared vision of how different futures might unfold, strategic planning can feel theoretical and disconnected. This is where LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY© (LSP) comes in—a unique, hands-on methodology that allows leadership teams to build, visualise, and interact with their potential futures in a way that is dynamic, collaborative, and deeply insightful.At Cognitive Union, we use LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY© for Scenario Planning, helping leadership teams navigate complexity with confidence. Here’s how this transformative workshop unfolds—and why it’s a game-changer for organisations looking to future-proof their strategy.
Building the Future, Brick by Brick
The LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY© Scenario Planning workshop isn’t about playing with toys—it’s about unlocking strategic thinking and problem-solving through a highly engaging, structured process. This isn’t a theoretical exercise; it’s a visual, hands-on experience that helps leaders prepare for what’s coming and make decisions that matter.
Through structured building exercises, teams go beyond abstract discussions and physically construct their vision of the company’s present and future—helping them align perspectives, identify risks, and create actionable strategies. Here’s what happens in the session:
Step 1: Getting Hands-On – Warm-Up Activities
Before diving into strategy, participants first get familiar with LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY© as a communication tool. The facilitator leads a series of warm-up challenges to help everyone understand the language of LEGO©.
- Example exercise: Each participant builds a small model that represents what leadership means to them. They then share their interpretations with the group, helping them get comfortable with using metaphors and storytelling.
Step 2: Individual Models – How Do You See the Business Today?
Each participant then builds a model that represents their perspective of the current organisation. What’s working well? What challenges exist? What external forces are already shaping the company?
- Outcome: A diverse range of viewpoints emerges, highlighting different leadership priorities and concerns.
Step 3: Creating a Shared Reality
From the individual models, the team collaborates to construct a single, shared model of the organisation today. This step is crucial—it creates alignment among leaders and reveals where perceptions differ.
- Outcome: A unified picture of the organisation emerges, establishing a strong foundation for future scenario exploration.
Step 4: Mapping the Landscape of Uncertainty
Now, the team starts layering potential external forces onto the shared model. These could include:
- Market shifts
- Competitor moves
- Technological disruptions
- Economic volatility
- Regulatory changes
- Unexpected crises (e.g., supply chain disruptions, workforce challenges)
By physically adding these elements to the model, leaders begin to see how these forces interact with their organisation.
- Outcome: A visual, tangible map of the external landscape that the company must navigate.
Step 5: Understanding Impact – The Connections Model
The next step is mapping the relationships between these external forces and the business. Which forces are most disruptive? What chain reactions might occur? How do different scenarios play out?
- Outcome: A clear view of interdependencies and vulnerabilities, helping leadership teams spot risks and opportunities before they arise.
Step 6: Setting Guiding Principles & Action Plans
The final step is all about action. Leaders define key principles and strategies for responding to different scenarios. This isn’t just about reacting—it’s about creating proactive strategies that can be activated when needed.
Outcome: A set of guiding principles and strategic commitments, ensuring the team is aligned and prepared for uncertainty.
What Leaders Take Away
This workshop isn’t just an abstract exercise—it delivers tangible, strategic outcomes.
By the end of the session, leaders will have:
- A Unified Vision of the Business Today – Created through individual and shared models.
- A Landscape Model of Potential Future Scenarios – A dynamic representation of key external forces and how they interact with the business.
- A Risk and Opportunity Map – Helping leaders anticipate and prepare for different possible futures.
- Guiding Principles for Decision-Making – A set of strategic principles that align leadership around how to respond to uncertainty.
A Clear Action Plan – Ensuring that insights from the session translate into real-world strategies.
Why This Workshop Works
Scenario planning often falls into the trap of static documents and theoretical discussions. The LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY© approach changes that by making planning:
✅ Tangible – Leaders can literally see and interact with their strategy.
✅ Engaging – The hands-on approach makes it easier to align perspectives and explore new ideas.
✅ Collaborative – Ensures that all voices are heard, breaking down silos in decision-making.
✅ Actionable – The session produces concrete next steps, not just abstract ideas.For leadership teams looking to build resilience, this workshop is an essential investment in the future.
Future-Proof Your Business Today
No organisation can predict the future—but every organisation can prepare for it. The LEGO© SERIOUS PLAY© Scenario Planning workshop helps leadership teams move beyond uncertainty and create real, practical strategies for success.If you’re ready to give your leadership team the tools to navigate complexity, get in touch with us at Cognitive Union to learn more about running this workshop in your organisation.
Cognitive Union is a progressive, boutique learning and performance consultancy. We work with forward-thinking businesses. Transforming their people. Shaping their culture. Helping them embrace change and take on the world. Find this blog useful? Sign up to our email newsletter (bottom of this page) where you can receive articles like this and other insights (not publicly published), and you can also follow us on LinkedIn.