A dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc in Studies of Mindfulness at the School of Education, University of Aberdeen. November, 2018
Published: 04 September 2020
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Mindfulness is knowing what is happening while it is happening, both within our own mind and the world around us, without preference (Mindfulness Association, 2015; 2016).
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is an innovative, experiential process which deepens reflection and supports an effective dialogue for everyone, and is designed to enhance innovation and business performance. It is based on research which shows that this kind of hands-on, minds-on learning produces a deeper, more meaningful understanding of the world and its possibilities (LEGO Group, 2017).
This autoethnographic research explores how the practice of Mindfulness can enhance the facilitation of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshops using qualitative methods of social observation, visual data analysis and thematic identification.
LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® is not only a methodology steeped in philosophical research and Mindfulness, as this research shows, it is also an activity which should be done mindfully and ethically.
Karen is an enthusiastic, emotionally engaged, chief human technologist with an ILM Level 7 Diploma in Executive Coaching and Mentoring. She has over twenty years' global experience in Information Systems. Recognizing the synergy between technology and human systems, she integrates mindfulness into her practice.
With a deep interest and training in Mindfulness, Karen’s coaching style encompasses the mindful and compassionate techniques she has embodied. She has also attained an MSc from the University of Aberdeen in Studies in Mindfulness and is qualified as Ready to Teach for both the MBLC and CBLC courses provided by the Mindfulness Association.
Karen is also an Enhanced, and Real-Time Change® Facilitator in LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method and materials, and an Inthrface Certified Training Partner of the Gold Standard Foundational Certificate.
As well as publishing an autoethnography based on her research carried out for her MSc Studies in Mindfulness: “How can the practice of Mindfulness enhance the facilitation of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® workshops?”, she is a Usui and Karuna Reiki Master Teacher, Shamanic Practitioner and Mental Health First Aider (certified by MHFA England), inspiring individuals to thrive personally and professionally through her expertise and commitment to well-being.
Karen is a human technologist who optimizes software, data, and human potential, inspiring people and organizations to do well, be well, and build better systems every day.