LegoTM Serious-PlayTM is more effective than traditional leadership coaching methods.
The current global changes in society and the economy are very serious. Much more profound than those of the industrial revolution. Comparable radical changes of this kind occurred when Gutenberg invented the printing press. This radically changed society and the economy. At present, we are not dealing with just „one“ innovation, but with very many interconnected changes at different levels. Even if the „digital“ transformation is in the foreground. We are also dealing with other levels of transformation: Mental, emotional, behavioural, consciousness, collective, digital, artificial etc. Old recipes and patterns for „successful leadership“ can no longer keep up with this multi-dimensional transformation. The old leadership development and change management programs are too „superficial“ to change deeper patterns of thinking, feeling, and doing. New methods and tools are needed to change leaders‘ „beliefs“ that are deeply anchored in their subconscious. LegoTM Serious PlayTM offers proven solutions for these multi-dimensional challenges to overcome the current problems in leadership development.
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Multiple paradigm shift
What is the difference between leadership of the past and in the future?
The leadership development programmes of the past decades were designed to prepare leaders in their role in fixed structures with clear tasks. The employees to be led were available at their physical workplaces and at fixed regulated times. The focus of leadership was very much on the inner workings of the organisation. Apart from some separate „strategy development programmes“ where external partners such as customers, suppliers etc. were engaged. Nothing more. The network economy has turned this on its head. The digital transformation has already created completely new, networked structures. Internally, as well as externally. Inside, the world of work has shifted away from a fixed workplace to a mobile workspace. Or even largely to the home office. Externally, completely new platforms have been developed, creating new purchasing, supply chain management and communication systems.
At the same time, the speed of change has increased dramatically due to digital systems and artificial intelligence. And with it, the pressure on leaders to adapt their organisations. The complexity and the dynamics of change in the ecosystem are now setting the pace for leadership work. The corporate strategy is not developed internally and implemented externally, but the change in the ecosystem forces the organisation to adapt to new situations. Agile and in real time.
In the past, change management programmes focused on one dimension. E.g. mind-set change, or digital transformation. Today, all dimensions (structural, digital, mental, emotional, behavioural, etc.) need to be worked on (from one-dimensionality to multi-dimensionality). And all this not in a linear processing, but in a networked, complex world (From linearity to complexity). The time available for this no longer moves in annual planning cycles, but in rapid waves of adaptation, virtually in real time (From planning phases to real-time transformation).
Old recipes for success in management (annual planning and budget cycles, controlling and steering systems, fixed workplace, fixed working relationship, old incentive programmes, unchanging sales channels, etc.) have been radically undermined.
The unconscious is the key to successful transformation for executives (C-Level)
For several years now, brain research has been offering precise explanatory models of how thoughts, feelings and convictions interact. Only if we succeed in penetrating the deep „unconscious“ of the leaders, we will be able to make these deep-seated convictions visible. Seeing is the wrong word here, because leaders cannot „look“ into the unconsciousness. And with the predominant intellectualizing way of doing business, consciously feeling emotions has been neglected. Especially connected with a high level of awareness.
Yet brain research now clearly confirms that the release of creative potential, which is necessary for finding new solutions, only succeeds when positive emotions are predominant. Fear (…like the rabbit in front of the snake) has exactly the opposite effect.
Leadership Transformation with LegoTM Serious PlayTM
Based on these findings, new leadership transformation programmes have been built. The starting point is always the individual. Because even in large transformation programmes (structural, digital, mental, emotional, organisational, etc.) the individual is always in the foreground. Even large organisations are led by individuals, executives. Before executives transform their organisation, it is necessary to work with the executives directly as individuals. In doing so, it is necessary to reveal which leadership patterns of the past are to be discarded and which new leadership patterns are to take their place. In the LSP method, the approaches for guiding principles can be used as starting line for this purpose.
Three levels are required for leadership transformation programmes.
- The manager as an individual (Executive, C-Level, Individuals)
- The team (Team, department, Projects, networks – inside, outside)
- The system, the organisation (organisation design, transition)
Systems cannot be changed without individuals. The individuals are the key. Only if there are enough executive leaders as individuals involved in decisive functions and roles the transformation process can be steered and changes in the organisation implemented. Executives play a special role in this. If this first C-level management level is not prepared, adjustments cannot be made on the team-level and in organisations.
In terms of content, the focus is on three areas:
- Connecting
- Transforming (changing beliefs)
- Inspiring (motivating, energising, co-creating)
In the area of connecting, the central point is perception. The better the perception, the greater the ability to grasp complex situations quickly and make the right decisions. But it is also about self-awareness and recognising one’s own beliefs and behaviour patterns.
Executive Summary
The diagnosis of current leadership programmes (leadership development programmes) has shown that traditional programmes are no longer suitable for coping with the challenges ahead. New programmes must be able to change profound, often unconscious „leadership patterns“ quickly and permanently. These are transformation processes that take place simultaneously on several levels. The multi-dimensional transformation (mental, emotional, digital, energetic, structural/systemic). LegoTM Serious PlayTM is one of the few methods that are suitable for this. The key to a successful multi-dimensional transformation is the executive level (C-level leadership). This is successfully possible with the LegoTM Serious PlayTM method, especially the in-depth psychological work and modelling of the „mental and emotional“ level by communication through metaphors.
The further development steps are the networking of the individual leadership patterns (Future Leadership Patterns) with the collective field of the organisation. The formats suitable for this are the CSP landscapes. Corresponding detailed workshop designs still need to be developed and tested.
Download full article here
2021_Article_LSP_Leadership_Transformation_E
For further questions please directly contact Manfred per email:
Further information about LegoTM Serious-PlayTM:
https://seriousplay.training/
https://www.rasmussenconsulting.dk/
http://seriousplay.community/dach/method/
