 | |
| Author | David Robertson Bill Breen |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Crown Publishing Group |
Publication date | 2013 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 305 |
| ISBN | 9780307951601 |
Brick by Brick: How Lego Rewrote the Rules of Innovation and Conquered the Toy Industry is a 2013 book by David Robertson and Bill Breen, published by Crown Publishing Group, about the business strategy of The Lego Group in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The book describes the business strategy of The Lego Group in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At that time, the company reformed said strategy, avoiding a near bankruptcy and becoming one of the most profitable companies in the toy industry of that period. The authors attribute the company's rescue to the efforts of new CEO, Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, who cut costs (by, among others, reducing the number of bricks produced), engaged with the Lego fandom community, and refocused company's efforts on its core business (design and marketing of interlocking plastic bricks) rather than side activities such as video games and theme parks. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Brick by Brick was published in 2013 by Crown Business, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group. [2] A paperback edition was published on June 24, 2014. [6]
The book was listed by Forbes as one of their staff choices for "The Best Books Of 2013". [1] Johnny Davis, writing for The Guardian in 2017, mentioned that the book "has become a set business text. Sony, Adidas and Boeing are said to refer to it", as the company's revival "has been called the greatest turnaround in corporate history". [5]
In 2013 Richard Milne reviewed the book for the Financial Times . The review said: "Robertson's take on Lego's success holds plenty of lessons for companies pondering how to remain innovative in a fast-changing world. With new lines such as Ninjago, products such as board games, and open innovation through fan-designed sets via its Cuusoo platform, Lego is showing how far you can take one simple yet brilliant idea." Regarding the book itself, the review argues that Robertson analysis of the company's turnaround fortunes, based on the differences in approach between the two CEOs of the period he focusses on (Poul Plougmann and Jørgen Vig Knudstorp), is "mostly successful, but some of the explanations turn on distinctions that are not always easy to grasp". [3]
David A. Price commented on the book for The Wall Street Journal , also in 2013. He noted that the authors "provides unusually detailed reporting" of the company's recent turnaround, and that the resulting book is "a nuanced and readable case study". Still, Price finds some fault with it, such as being too hard on the earlier Lego management ([Plougmann's]), as well as trying too hard to see patterns and devise business-advice-like rules from too small of a dataset. [4]
The Economic Times also reviewed the book. Their review concluded that "The book serves as a useful guide to anyone who is grappling with how to implement well established management and innovation theories in their own business without it having an adverse effect. For fans of the Lego brand, and in fact, anyone interested in brand stories, this book is an interesting read." [7]
Kirkus Reviews wrote that it is "A lively account of a company whose products will be familiar to most readers". [2]
Lego is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) that accompany an array of gears, figurines called minifigures, and various other parts. Its pieces can be assembled and connected in many ways to construct objects, including vehicles, buildings, and working robots. Assembled Lego models can be taken apart, and their pieces can be reused to create new constructions.
Ole Kirk Christiansen was a Danish carpenter. In 1932, he founded the construction toy company Lego, later known as The Lego Group. Christiansen transformed his small woodworking shop, which initially sold household products, into a manufacturer of wooden toys. By 1934, he had officially named the company Lego and established its fundamental principles. The business shifted to producing plastic bricks after the acquisition of a plastic moulding injection machine in 1947. Following his death in 1958, the company's management was handed over to his son, Godtfred.
Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen is a Danish businessman who was the president and CEO of The Lego Group from 1979 to 2004. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Kristiansen is the third richest Dane, with a net worth of US$7.26 billion as of April 2024. He is the grandson of Lego founder Ole Kirk Christiansen.
This article lists notable events and releases in the history of the Lego Group.
Lego began in 1934 in the carpentry workshop of Ole Kirk Christianen, a Danish furniture maker. During the Great Depression, he began to make miniature versions of his products, which inspired him to produce toys. In 1934 the company was named "Lego", a contraction from the Danish phrase "leg Godt", meaning "play well".
Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension is a science fiction television series created by Thomas W. Lynch and The Lego Group, and co-produced by CinéGroupe and the Tom Lynch Company in association with YTV. Galidor premiered on February 9, 2002, and ran for twenty-six episodes across two seasons, airing its last episode on August 24, 2002. It had limited reruns on other international networks. The series follows teenager Nicholas "Nick" Bluetooth and his friend Allegra Zane after they are transported to the Outer Dimension, where Nick uses his newfound "glinch" shapeshifting ability to aid resistance efforts against the tyrant Gorm who has conquered the Outer Dimension in search of the hidden realm of Galidor.
The Lego Group is a Danish construction toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-branded toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks around the world, each known as Legoland, and operates numerous retail stores.
Godtfred Kirk Christiansen was the managing director of The Lego Group from 1957 to 1973. He was the third son of company founder Ole Kirk Christiansen and took over as managing director in 1957, eventually becoming the sole owner. Godtfred is credited with playing a pivotal role in the development of the Lego brick design and patented it in 1958. He also created the Lego System in Play, the cornerstone of the Lego construction toy. Godtfred stepped down as Leader of the company in 1973. His son Kjeld Kirk Christiansen became president in 1979.
Jørgen Vig Knudstorp is a Danish businessman who is the current executive chairman of The LEGO Group. He succeeded Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen as president and CEO of the company in October 2004, holding the position for over 12 years until January 2017, when he stepped down to become executive chairman.
Mega Brands Inc. is a Canadian children's toy company that is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel. Mega Bloks, a line of construction set toys, is its most popular product. Its other brands include Mega Construx, Mega Puzzles, and Board Dudes. The company distributes a wide range of construction toys, puzzles, and craft-based products.
Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. It is the first theme to be based on ninjas since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. It was produced to coincide with the animated television series Ninjago, which was superseded in 2023 by a new series titled Ninjago: Dragons Rising.
Oxford Co., Ltd. is a South Korean toy company, based in Busan, that makes interlocking brick toys. It was founded in 1961 as Dongjin Industries Corp. and has used its current name since 1992.
A Lego clone is a line or brand of children's construction blocks which is mechanically compatible with Lego brand blocks, but is produced by another manufacturer. The blocks were originally patented by The Lego Group in 1961 as "toy building bricks", and the company has since remained dominant in this market. Some competitors have moved to take advantage of Lego brand recognition by advertising their own products as compatible with Lego, with statements such as "compatible with leading building bricks".
Lego Friends is a product range of Lego construction toys designed primarily for girls that was launched in 2012. It introduced "mini-doll" figures, which are about the same size as traditional Lego minifigures but are more detailed and realistic. The original cast consisted of Andrea, Olivia, Stephanie, Mia and Emma. The theme was rebooted and relaunched in January 2023 to focus on a more diverse cast of characters, the main cast now consisting of Aliya, Nova, Zac, Liann, Paisley, Leo, Autumn and Olly.
David C. Robertson is an American computer scientist, organizational theorist, and management consultant, known for his contributions in the fields of IT management and Enterprise architecture.
Bali Padda is a British-Indian businessman who was briefly the CEO of The Lego Group. Prior to this role, he was Lego's chief operations officer. He inherited the role of CEO from Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, who stepped down to lead the LEGO Brand Group in January 2017. He was the first non-Danish top-level executive to run the 84-year-old company.
The pilot episodes are the first installments of the Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu animated television series. The series was co-created by Tommy Andreasen. It focuses on the adventures of four teenage ninja who live in the fictional world of Ninjago and fight against the forces of evil.
Lego Life of George was a Lego theme that for the first time, combined standard Lego bricks with a mobile app. The theme was first introduced in October 2011. It was eventually discontinued by the end of December 2013.
Building blocks are modular construction parts, usually made of plastic, which can be assembled in a form-fit manner. The basic components are usually cuboid-shaped, cylindrically studded at the top in a grid pattern, hollow-bodied at the bottom and smooth at the sides. The structured upper surface interacts by friction and positive locking with the correspondingly negative lower surface of other clamping components, so that complex designs can be assembled. The design allows the parts to be connected with compressive force and the blocks to be clamped with plastic pins.