Playful Problem-Solving: Cracking Complex Business Ecosystems with LEGO

Remember the last time you had to explain a super complex idea? Did you find yourself instinctively reaching for a pen to sketch it out or pulling out some off-the-cuff analogy to make it clearer? 

That’s because our brains are wired to think in models and metaphors. We naturally want to draw, build, and sculpt information into shapes that not only make sense to us but also help others understand our point of view. It’s our way of saying, “Hey, here’s what I’m thinking—let me show you.”

In other words, we’re hardwired to “gestalt”—to see the big picture rather than obsessing over every tiny detail. And guess what? We’re constantly tweaking those little details to make the big picture even clearer. This is what makes us all natural sculptors of thought.

When we turn our thoughts into something tangible, we’re not just sharing an idea; we’re building a bridge that helps others connect with it on a deeper level. Giving our thoughts physical form makes them relatable and understandable—kind of like telling a story that others can experience alongside us.

At R3ASON, we’ve taken this idea and run with it. As designers, we often struggle to make complex concepts—like change management or supply chain collaboration—relatable to our clients. And let’s be real, they struggle too. Cue the frantic sketching on scraps of paper or the desperate Pinterest search for a visual example that never quite hits the mark.

So, we decided to make our lives easier (and our work more fun) with LEGO. Prototyping with LEGO lets us and our clients bring ideas to life in a way that’s flexible, hands-on, and free from the pressure of perfection. It’s what we like to call “comfortable ambiguity,” and it’s been a game-changer for making complex ideas not just understandable, but downright engaging.

One such application of lego prototypes, we are “prototyping”..., is to use lego artifacts to trigger innovation in large service-system design. As a part of this approach, we are also developing our own versions of various business models and  complex service mechanisms as lego avatars. We call this, the “Biology of Business”. The goal is to trigger people to make their own interpretations of systemic concepts, so that they can understand these concepts better, and eventually play with them.

It’s easy to get lost in the intricate web of relationships, value exchanges, and interactions that define these systems. But what if there was a way to simplify this complexity? What if you could make sense of these complicated networks using something as simple and playful as LEGO?  Afterall, innovation bears its true potential with “play" i.e, when there is no fear of failure.

Play is more than just fun and games—it’s a powerful tool for creative thinking and problem-solving. When we engage in play, we allow ourselves to speculate, to explore possibilities without the constraints of reality. This speculative mindset is crucial when dealing with complex systems like business ecosystems. By introducing play into the creative thought process, we open up new avenues for understanding and innovation.

"LEGO as artifacts of thought..."

LEGO bricks are not just toys; they are artifacts of thought. When you build with LEGO, you’re not just stacking bricks—you’re constructing ideas, concepts, and possibilities. Each model you create is a tangible representation of your thoughts, a physical embodiment of abstract ideas. In the context of business ecosystems, these LEGO models become a way to make complex thoughts visible and open to reasoning.

"... tangibilizing thoughts through metaphors."

One of the biggest challenges in understanding complex systems is that they often remain abstract and difficult to grasp. This is where metaphors come in. Metaphors allow us to translate complex ideas into something more relatable and understandable. By using LEGO to create avatars and models, we can convert abstract thoughts into tangible artifacts—objects that can be played with, fiddled with, disassembled, reassembled, and rearranged.

Imagine this: each business or service in an ecosystem is represented by a LEGO avatar—a small, unique creature with its own characteristics. These avatars are more than just models; they are metaphors for the roles and behaviors of different entities within the ecosystem. By manipulating these avatars, you can explore how different businesses interact, how they might evolve, and how changes in one part of the ecosystem might ripple through the whole system.

"Metaphors as devices for problem-solving..."

Metaphors are powerful devices for problem-solving because they allow us to approach problems from new angles. When you create a LEGO model to represent a business or service, you’re not just building a physical object—you’re creating a metaphor that can be used to explore different scenarios and outcomes. What if this part of the ecosystem changed? What if these two entities collaborated in a new way? By using metaphors, you can speculate on possible futures and experiment with different strategies in a low-risk, playful environment.

"... converting thoughts into tangible artifacts."

So, what if we could convert our thoughts into tangible artifacts—objects that can be manipulated and explored to discover new meanings and new futures? That’s essentially what LEGO allows us to do. When we build with LEGO, we are making our thoughts tangible, turning abstract concepts into physical models that we can engage with in a hands-on way. This process of tangibilizing thoughts helps us to better understand complex systems and to communicate our ideas more effectively with others.

Business ecosystems might be complex, but that doesn’t mean they have to be incomprehensible. By using LEGO avatars as metaphors and tools for play, we can break down these complexities into something more manageable and approachable. Play allows us to speculate, to explore new possibilities, and to engage with complex ideas in a creative and open-ended way. So, the next time you’re grappling with a tough business challenge, why not grab some LEGO bricks and start building? You might be surprised at how much you can discover when you turn your thoughts into tangible artifacts and let yourself play.

When we use LEGO as boundary objects in our co-design sessions, we’re not just playing with bricks—we’re bringing our ideas to life in a way that everyone can touch, see, and understand. Unlike the usual text-heavy models that feel like a set of rigid rules, LEGO lets us literally build our thoughts and tweak them on the spot. Imagine turning those abstract business concepts into something you can actually fiddle with, break apart, and reassemble until it just clicks. This isn’t about just sharing information; it’s about inviting everyone into the same creative space, where we can truly collaborate and innovate together. So, when we say LEGO makes collaboration actionable, we mean it makes the whole process feel real, flexible, and a whole lot more fun—and that’s where the magic of co-creation really happens.

• Huizinga, Johan. Homo Ludens: a study of the play-element in culture. Boston, MA: The Beacon Press. 1950.

• Kasprisin, R. (2016). play in Creative Problem-Solving for planners and architects. Routledge.

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• Wyver, S. R., & Spence, S. H. (1999). Play and divergent problem solving: Evidence supporting a reciprocal relationship. Early Education and Development, 10(4), 419-444.

• Martin, L. Y. (1978, November). The role of play in the learning process. In The Educational Forum (Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 51-58). Taylor & Francis Group.