A critical consideration of LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® methodology for tourism studies

Abstract

Increasingly, tourism researchers have turned their attention to the use of creative methodologies to gain deeper understandings of tourist phenomena. There is a need to challenge and creatively disrupt conventional methodological approaches as they are criticised for their inability to be participant driven, capture the co-construction of research context or to address the impact of wider social dynamics to knowledge creation in tourism studies. Based on our research focused on host–guests experiences participating in the World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) programme in New Zealand we provide a critical consideration of LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® for tourism studies. LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® is a communication tool aimed at developing creative thinking through building metaphors around identities and experiences using LEGO^® bricks. To demonstrate how the method can be used in tourism studies, we draw on examples from three LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® workshops to illustrate the benefits and challenges of this methodological approach. LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® offered a metaphorical way for participants to construct creative artefacts and explain their ideal WWOOFing experience, representing sometimes complex, entrenched and emotional issues, and relationships that may have been difficult to express via traditional methods. The method enables participant driven, co-production of knowledge in a playful, free-flowing way to foster creative thinking, meanings and possible solutions. The method helps participants creatively communicate complex and sensitive issues, especially around their relationships – to objects, landscapes, people and identities – aspects that may otherwise be silenced by traditional research methods. As a novel method LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® provides opportunities for researchers who want to gain a deeper understanding of the social dimensions of tourism, to co-create spaces for knowledge exchange and develop an in-depth understanding of socially constructed relationships and realities.

摘要

近十年来, 旅游研究将注意力转向创新性质性研究方法, 以期对旅游现象有更深刻的认识。尽管大量的研究强调创新性的方法, 但仍有必要挑战甚至创造性地打破基于传统方法论的研究方法, 因为这些传统方法被批评说无法由参与者驱动,无法共同构建研究脉络, 或应对广泛的社会动力因素对旅游研究中知识创新的影响。基于我们对新西兰有机农场全球机遇项目(WWOOF)中主客体验的研究, 我们为旅游研究提供了乐高严肃游戏方法的批判性思考。乐高严肃游戏（LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^®）是一款沟通工具, 旨在通过使用LEGO^®砖块围绕身份和体验构建隐喻来发展创新性思维。为了展示该方法如何应用于旅游研究, 我们借鉴了三个乐高严肃游戏工作坊的例子来说明这种方法的好处和挑战。乐高严肃游戏为参与者提供了一种隐喻性的方式, 让他们构建有创意的人工制品, 并解释他们理想的有机农场全球机遇项目的体验, 表现有时候是复杂、根深蒂固的情感问题, 以及可能通过传统方法难以表达的关系。该方法使参与者驱动, 以一种有趣的, 自由流动的方式共同生产知识, 以培养创造性思维, 意义和可能的解决方案。该方法帮助参与者创造性地沟通复杂和敏感的问题, 特别是围绕他们与物体、景观、人和身份的关系, 这些方面可能会被传统的研究方法所掩盖。乐高严肃游戏作为一种新颖的方法, 为研究者提供了很多机会, 有望更深入地理解旅游业的社会方面, 共同创造知识交流的空间, 深入了解社会构建的旅游关系和现实。

Keywords:

• LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^®
• creative methodology
• host–guests’ experience
• constructionism
• WWOOF

关键词:

• 乐高严肃游戏
• 创新性方法
• 主客关系
• 建构主义
• 世界有机农场机遇组织

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Disclosure statement

There is no conflicts of interest to declare.

Notes

1 WWOOF stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms and represents a network which promotes cultural and educational experiences based on trust and non-monetary exchange. WWOOF connects farmers and volunteers who are interested to exchange labour for food, accommodation and learning about organic farming practices and sustainable ways of living.

2 LEGO DUPLO is a product range created for children between 1.5 and 5 years old. Duplo bricks are two times larger in length, height and width compared to standard LEGO bricks (https://www.lego.com/en-gb/themes/duplo).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yana Wengel

Dr Yana Wengel is a lecturer at the Work, Employment & Organisation department at the University of Strathclyde Business School. Yana takes a critical approach to tourism studies and her interests include volunteer tourism, non-profit tourism, tourism in developing economies, creative methodologies and mountain tourism. Her Doctoral research, conducted at the University of Waikato, examined the social construction of host-guest relationships in World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms programme (WWOOFing). She has an interest in creative qualitative tools for data collection, stakeholder engagement, sustainable and mountaineer tourism. Yana is a co-founder of the LEGO^® SERIOUS PLAY^® research community.

Alison McIntosh

Dr Alison McIntosh is Professor of Tourism and Hospitality at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand. As a critical scholar, her main research interests are in social justice, inclusion and advocacy through tourism and hospitality; humanitarian travel, community hospitality and volunteering; reflexivity, creative and participative research approaches, and community engagement methods. She has published widely in leading international journals and is Co-Editor of the journal, Hospitality & Society.

Cheryl Cockburn-Wootten

Dr Cheryl Cockburn-Wootten is Senior Lecturer, University of Waikato, New Zealand. Her work adopts an interdisciplinary approach but mainly draws on organisational communication theories to apply to tourism, hospitality and contexts involving social issues. She is also, along with Professor Alison McIntosh, co-founder and co-facilitator of the Network for Community Hospitality which bridges teaching, research expertise with external stakeholders and organisations to make a difference to issues facing New Zealand society.