LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®

Data protection, AI governance, infosec and laws and regulations are not just about the articles and recitals, or standards and frameworks. They involve a complex ecosystem of people, technology, borders, and processes. Standard meetings often fail to capture these intricate dependencies.

We are increasingly using Lego® Serious Play® (LSP) because it allows leaders to build 3D models of their complex systems, making hidden realities visible. It turns abstract compliance issues into tangible objects that can be discussed, connected, and understood. Because technology regulation involves abstract concepts, invisible risks, and complex stakeholder relationships, LSP is particularly effective for making these issues concrete and manageable.

LSP can be used in a number of different workshop settings and contexts - dependent upon workshop objectives. Below are a couple of examples of a half-day workshop and a full-day workshop (in this case, split over two half-days) - click each to enlarge. Both workshops are titled From insight to action: Defining your data protection priorities.

The compact approach

This is a focused, 4-hour online strategy session designed specifically for Data Protection professionals. It moves beyond standard meetings or assessments to map the current reality of your key data topics.

This workshop is designed for data protection leaders and their teams, or clusters of embedded cross-functional data protection responsibles. They are typically looking to improve collaboration or looking to reset and align on strategy and priorities for the coming period (e.g. the coming year).

Using LSP allows us to facilitate deep dialogue and rapid problem-solving. By building 3D models of complex challenges, participants unlock insights and communicate nuances that words alone cannot capture.

And just to clarify, this is not an icebreaker. It is a facilitated, neuroscience-based process for navigating complexity and aligning teams.

The real time view. The focus of this session is "real time identity." We do not spend time discussing how things should be according to policy, or how we hope they will be in five years.

We focus entirely on the right now. We create a safe environment for colleagues to build the messy reality of their daily work, the strengths, the bottlenecks, and the workarounds. Only by visualising the actual gap between policy and practice can we effectively bridge it.

Key workshop outcomes:

• Visualise complexity: Turn abstract compliance issues into tangible objects that can be discussed, connected, and managed strategically.

• Candid collaboration: The method levels the playing field, ensuring 100% participation and allowing team members to share perspectives they might not voice in standard meetings.

• Identify hidden gaps: By visually mapping the landscape of pressures impacting their work, hidden risks and resource gaps become apparent.

• Concrete priorities: Move rapidly from insight to action. The session concludes with agreed-upon, actionable priorities for the coming period.

This is a lean-forward, highly interactive online session. Participants receive a small pack of LEGO® bricks in the post prior to the workshop. We use MS Teams for dialogue and Miro as our digital canvas to capture results.

The 4-hour agenda at a glance:

• Foundation & warm-up. We begin by onboarding teams to the methodology, using quick, engaging exercises to establish the "hand-mind connection" and the rules of engagement.

• Your data protection REALITY. Working in small breakout groups, participants build individual models representing specific data protection topics from two important perspectives: the internal reality (strengths/weaknesses) and external perceptions (stakeholders/regulators).

• Your data protection LANDSCAPE. We expand the view to identify the agents - the specific trends, regulatory pressures, technological gaps, or stakeholders that are impacting the topic right now. These are mapped visually to show their proximity and impact.

• Priorities (planning). Analysing the visual landscape they have created, the workgroups define key strategic conclusions and agree on top 3-5 concrete priorities for the period ahead.

The session closes with a knowledge-sharing plenary

The "split" approach (two half days, or one full day)

This longer session can be held across a full working day, or, as we recommend, be split across two half-days thereby providing participants a long break from their screens, time to reflect and re-charge. The longer time allows us to work closer with you and dive deeper into mapping your data protection landscape.

Half day 1 focus: Mapping the Reality (The "What"). We will spend the entire session building the foundation, defining the current identity of the selected data protection topics, and mapping the surrounding landscape of pressures (Agents). The day ends with a completed visual map of the Lego® models on Miro.

Half day 2 focus: Analysing &pPlanning (The "So What & Now What"). We return to the maps to define the connections (the system), analyse the implications, and develop concrete strategic actions.

Our LSP workshops can be held in-person, online or hybrid. The online version is particularly attractive for dispersed teams and you may be wondering how this is done in practice. Well, small Lego® kits are posted to all participants in advance of the workshop and then on the day, we come together in an online environment typically using MS Teams and Miro.

We firmly believe data protection, AI governance and GRC in general needs new thinking and different approaches if we are address many of the challenges leaders have faced in their companies over many years. LSP is a good starting point for doing things differently.

Want to know more? Feel free to book a call where we'll explain more about the LSP approach and how it can align with your requirements.

LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® explainer
The following explainer provides the gist of what the LSP approach is all about - click to enlarge.