HBR On Leadership Moving Beyond Either-Or Decision-Making
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Sep 24, 2025 Jennifer Riel, an adjunct professor at the Rotman School of Management and co-author of Creating Great Choices, shares insights on integrative thinking in decision-making. She dives into how Lego initially struggled with balancing brand protection and creative talent for their movies. Riel argues for seeking innovative solutions rather than simple compromises, highlighting the importance of audience engagement and the value of exploring opposing models deeply. Her framework encourages leaders to clarify problems, embrace tension in ideas, and prototype solutions effectively.
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How Lego Turned A Flop Into A Hit
- Lego's first in-house film prioritized brand protection and ended up boring audiences and failing commercially.
- CEO Jørgen Vig Knudstorp later let filmmakers lead but had them immerse with superfans to protect the brand while getting creative talent.
Require Creatives To Immerse With Customers
- Do avoid strict control that scares away top creative talent when you need an outstanding result.
- Instead, require immersive research time with your core users so external teams learn to love and protect your brand.
Tension Produces Better Solutions
- Integrative thinking leverages the tension between opposing ideas rather than settling for a bland compromise.
- The process seeks a novel solution that preserves what matters in both extremes instead of a midway Frankenstein answer.
