I believe learning through play is important not only for children, but also for adults. Having fun while building professional skills is a great way to develop deeper engagement with and understanding of key concepts.
That’s why I chose to facilitate an exercise using Lego® to help participants learn some of the main ideas behind Lean Six Sigma that they can apply at their workplaces to standardize processes and support continuous improvement. I’ll outline a recent session I facilitated to give you some ideas about how you can apply these principles to streamline processes and improve efficiency.
The exercise had three rounds. In the first round, participants were told by their “CEO”—which was my role as facilitator—only that they should build a house out of the assorted Lego pieces provided. There were no directions or specifications. This lack of detail was intentional, and intended to evoke the kind of chaos and lack of direction participants often encounter in the real world.
And the result was what you’d probably expect. Participants grabbed different colored pieces, pieces they didn’t need and tried to build their houses with no clear direction about what the output should be. As they worked, I circulated around the room, “communicating” with each team, using sheets of paper with feedback such as a fire emoji, a happy face or a heart, and maybe one or two words. I would go to team tables, hand them a paper and tell the teams to check their “email” for feedback. At the end of the round, none of the teams had successfully built a Lego house.
In the second round, the Legos were sorted into colors, and each team was asked to build a house using a single color. They were given all of the inventory they needed—but no directions. The goal was for them to build at least one house using the inventory provided and to apply any learnings from round one of the exercise. A few teams completed houses, but no one felt they had worked efficiently.
The debrief following this round helped participants understand the importance of inventory and having all the things you need to be successful in your job. We also heard that watching other teams sparked ideas and discussions for new and different ways to complete their Lego houses.
In this final round, we began by having a discussion of what the teams needed to accomplish the assigned task. Participants wanted training. They wanted a defined process, and enough time to practice so they could develop their skills. They wanted a person to supervise the construction and they wanted clear directions. We even took members of the team that had completed a Lego house in the second round and distributed them to the other groups for training and coaching.
With the time, expertise and materials needed, the teams not only completed their Lego houses, but also developed standard operating procedures that allowed them to reduce waste, work efficiently and meet goals. Some teams created an assembly line, sliding the house to each member to add a piece. Other teams gathered resources and let one person build. Several teammates pulled tables together to make it easier to work together.
Most of the participants told me this exercise was fun and informative. One said the first round felt disorganized, much like his current work state, and he was excited to share what he learned about the concept of systems thinking with his colleagues.
Many participants noted the impact of different communication styles. Some said the emoji messages I distributed felt similar to random communication from leaders that didn’t seem connected to their work. They saw first-hand how clear, consistent direction from leadership affects the quality and efficiency of their work.
One participant was open with me about her refusal to “play” with Lego. But as the exercise progressed, she became the liaison between her team and me as the “CEO,” helping her group gather the information they needed to successfully complete their houses. It was a great illustration of using the different skill sets of each team member to support team success.
Another interesting insight came from two teams who had been successful with their processes in the second round and produced more Lego houses than the other teams. On the spur of the moment, I asked the teams if they wanted to switch the processes they’d each developed and compare performance. But they declined out of concern for a lack of time to train the other team and make sure they were on board with their process. After designing and using their processes, they clearly understood the importance of high quality onboarding and training.
The Lego exercise is a great way to introduce and apply Lean Six Sigma concepts. It introduces systems thinking, which helps people understand how various processes they use can affect others in the organization. It also reveals how much a team’s performance is driven not only by individual effort or skill, but also by the processes and workflows an organization has in place.
The most important take-away for leaders is that if they want to improve a process, they need to be connected and visible. This is especially true for any change management initiatives an organization undertakes. It’s not enough to hand teams a plan and ask them to execute. It’s vital to have discussions to make sure they have what they need—inventory, team buy-in, skills, training, and adequate direction—to ensure success.
The more structured processes are, the more efficient teams can be. And more efficient teams often are more engaged, since having those well-defined processes increases the chances of meeting organizational goals.
Sydney Creson-Vats
Sr. Optimization Consultant
Sydney is a seasoned healthcare professional with over 20 years of experience in Revenue Cycle, Clinical Quality and Improvement, enterprise project management, and SaaS. She has facilitated teams and implemented new processes using Lean Six Sigma, PDSA, project management, and change management methodologies. At ResMed, Sydney focuses on enhancing healthcare delivery through process optimization and a commitment to quality. She leads teams in building cross-functional collaborations that drive organizational growth and advancements in patient care. Residing in North Carolina, Sydney enjoys spending time with her spouse of 17 years, their 13-year-old son, and their 10-year-old daughter. Sydney's hobbies include traveling, attending soccer matches, Scout events, and renovating a 100-year-old farmhouse in the North Carolina mountains.
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