When you think about innovation, which companies come to mind? Maybe you think of Google, Facebook or another technology company. A toy company is probably not top of mind. But consider the LEGO Group, makers of the iconic LEGO blocks and other instructional products that inspire children.

At LEGO, the same spirit of creativity and imagination that goes into the company’s products is also a major part of the company’s high-performance culture. It’s what helps the company drive success in the global marketplace, according to LEGO’s human resource management leaders.

An Environment of Fun and Innovation

LEGO believes that an atmosphere of fun is essential for a high-performance culture. It’s immediately evident when you walk into a LEGO facility. At the company’s U.S. headquarters in Enfield, Conn., nearly every cube has a sculpture that reflects the occupant’s personality — anything from bright orange LEGO pencil-and-paperclip holders to custom LEGO character creations more than 2 feet tall. In addition, there are table tennis and foosball tables, flat-screen televisions with Wii game controls, and outside volleyball and basketball courts.

The shiny building blocks, called bricks, are also a way of life at LEGO. Each conference room at the Enfield facility contains a bowl of LEGO bricks meant to facilitate solutions. Brick play works, according to LEGO’s HR representatives. Many solutions to seemingly insurmountable problems have come out of meetings when employees began collaborating and building with LEGO bricks.

In addition to maintaining a culture of fun, LEGO is also committed to "quality at all times," says Director of Global Recruitment Barbara Walton, SPHR. "When I say a commitment to quality, I mean quality of product and quality of staff. The LEGO Group focuses on building relationships and there is a culture of change and flexibility ― traits that are key to the company’s continued success in the global marketplace."

A Focus on Customers

Founded in 1932, LEGO’s success has also grown out of its diligent focus on its core audience: children. The global HR team, overseeing 10,000 employees in more than 130 countries, is responsible for ensuring that every decision made is driven by the impact it will have on its young customers.

This is not as simple as it sounds when the concept of play can have cultural differences. Also, the company has had to successfully innovate in recent years with robotic kits and digital games. As the company expands into new markets, LEGO’s HR team also makes a concerted effort to understand the different cultures and styles of employees from different countries. Much emphasis is put on three key areas: attraction of new talent, selection of talent and the onboarding and organizational socialization of new talent.

"It’s LEGO over ego," says Tracy Michaud, SPHR, a Senior HR Manager at the company. Michaud adds that it is the HR team’s job to ensure that work is done collaboratively, and that employees are focused on solutions rather than individual concerns. Employees at LEGO are taught to understand the use of healthy conflict as a way to problem solve without creating tension.

Reducing Complexity

With so many challenges in global toy marketplace, the LEGO HR team challenges itself to take as much complexity as possible out of the HR process. This allows the organization’s leaders to focus on the business. The objective, Michaud says, is to create a single HR agenda. "How can we be scalable and adaptable as the company continues to grow?"

Complexity is also reduced by ensuring the company’s HR function is completely aligned with the business. A yearly employee survey, for example, is conducted so that the company can understand employee motivation, satisfaction and ways to simplify processes. LEGO also uses a web-based application to help its professionals conduct business around the globe.

"We talk the same language in terms of collaboration and teamwork," Walton says. "People development is very important to us. And a standardized competency framework helps us to find additional commonalities."

But LEGO never waivers about its core company values: fun, innovation and a commitment to the customer. Like many of the most innovative companies in the world today, LEGO views the alignment of its human capital as key to sustainable business advantage.