Using Behavioral Science to Design LEGO's Workplace Experience

I have been fascinated by behavioral science since I took a Behavioral Finance class when I was studying for my Master's degree in 2010. The idea of testing behavioral hypotheses in the real world — as opposed to assuming behaviors that might sound reasonable but do not hold once you test them — drives much of my thinking in daily life. I understand the methodologies and the probability theory behind behavioral science, but an end-to-end toolbox of how to go about this in the corporate world was missing. The Behavioral Science in Business program at Columbia had exactly this aim.

At The Lego Group, we use the principles of behavioral science in our larger workplaces when we try to solve day-to-day challenges with, for instance, utilizing the space most efficiently. It's a process where we "nudge" people to use the space based on what it was designed for, observe, then adapt if we notice behavior going in the opposite direction of what we intended. Knowing how to change behavior most effectively is a key stone in the Behavioral Science in Business program and has helped our organization in every way from increasing survey participation to guiding people on how to best use the office space during COVID-19.

I believe that reality is the best teacher. However, it's been valuable to find inspiration from other professionals across industries who share the same interests as me and who are pioneering similar areas at their own organizations. In the case of the Behavioral Science in Business program, I brought home new inspiration and could better guide my employees in a methodology that is simple to follow (though difficult to master!). Before the program, I was not as effective in explaining how we could approach behavioral change according to recent methodologies. That changed after the program. Becoming a role model and thought leader within an area as important as behavioral change has been important for me as a leader.

Behavioral science can be a powerful tool and we have to understand not only the first order effects but also the second and third order effects (how people’s behavior changes due to the changes). Sometimes, good intentions can lead to disastrous outcomes if we are not careful and so, the principle “first, do no harm” is very important in this field. It is not just about finding effective “nudges” but, more importantly, about truly understanding the behavior you want to change by creating the right experiments and asking the right questions. Then, it is about being creative and innovative in the myriad of possible solutions to solving that particular problem. This approach fits so well with The LEGO Group and our values of being creative, playful, and imaginative.

It is important to think about play as an activity that is meaningful, joyful, socially interactive, actively engaging, and iterative. Play is not the absence of being serious. It is a mindset that leads to very serious and valuable outcomes if applied in the right settings. In the case of workplaces, at The Lego Group we believe that play should not merely be an activity (though we do have lots of fun activity building with LEGO bricks!) but a mindset that we take into meetings, workshops, problem solving sessions and more. For example, a workshop is a very serious form of creativity where you are actively engaging colleagues with different playful approaches, but it can lead to practical outcomes.

Where should I begin? This is a big question, but let me focus on maybe the three biggest changes:

• Working remotely is not only an option, it might actually help improve the work experience
• Being mindful of what the office can do and why it still matters changes what activities we do there
• Working digitally can get the job done in most cases

Generally, by leveraging what working remotely is best for (online meetings and training, deep work, townhalls etc.) and complementing that with what the office is best for (workshops, social interactions, creative thinking, connecting to company values and culture etc.), you can get the best of both worlds — and spend less time commuting, produce less pollution, and are not bound to the location of the company. This has made a lot of people happier and it has improved work-life balance for many across the board. On the other hand, the lockdowns have also made it tough for some to work from home. But I expect that post-COVID, the issues around work-life balance will be fewer. However, “switching off” is something we will have to learn how to do effectively when there is no physical travel connected to “leaving the office."

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Jesper Ambrosius graduated with a double-Bachelor's in Media Science and Economics and a Master’s in Economics from Aarhus and Sydney University. Throughout his career, he has been working within primarily two areas — high-level strategy at the CXO-level as a strategy partner and leadership as a manager. He started out as a management trainee for the global telco Telenor where he later took on two different leadership positions. In 2015, he joined The LEGO Group, working on strategic initiatives with key partners including LEGO’s Chief Marketing Officer and the Chief People Officer. As head of the LEGO Workplace Experience, he aims to create workplace experiences that enable LEGO employees to be and do their best at work, attract and retain world-class talents, and bring them closer to the LEGO values. Jesper lives in Aarhus, Denmark with his wife Signe and their three children aged 3, 6, and 8 (who all happen to love their father’s job at The LEGO Group!)