Thinking with LEGO

Thinking with LEGO, also known by the set number 16197-1, was produced by the LEGO Group as an educational tool primarily intended for corporate workshops and professional development settings. Released in the early 2010s, the set reflects the company's broader expansion into the business services sector, specifically designed to facilitate the LEGO Serious Play methodology. This approach encourages participants to use bricks as a means of visualizing complex problems and fostering collaborative communication in organizational environments.

The design of the set is intentionally minimalist, favoring a functional assortment of standard bricks in various colors over the thematic minifigures or specialized elements found in consumer building kits. By stripping away narrative cues, the designers sought to prevent preconceived biases, allowing participants to interpret the bricks as abstract metaphors for concepts like workflow, hierarchy, or innovation. It was received as a niche professional resource, prized by facilitators for its ability to lower barriers to creative thinking during strategy sessions.