The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology is built upon a process which stems from the heart of LEGO elements and the LEGO building system. Looking for a tool to unlock imagination and innovation within the company, the LEGO Group realized that a solution might be found in the LEGO® System in Play itself: just as the LEGO Group had been inspiring children to ‘build their dreams’ for decades, so perhaps adults could be asked to build their visions for future strategy.
The idea of the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology originated in 1996 when the two professors Johan Roos and Bart Victor at IMD in Switzerland and LEGO Group CEO and owner Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen were exploring alternative strategic planning tools and systems. They developed an understanding of the value of employees and the concept of an evolving, adaptive strategy that included using LEGO elements as three-dimensional models of business issues and challenges. The strategy was named LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®. Together they formed a company called Executive Discovery Ltd., which developed and launched the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® methodology.
In 2004 Executive Discovery Ltd. merged into the LEGO Group, which took over the ownership, methodology and distribution of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® materials.