Essentially, Lego had adopted many of the attitudes and innovative practices that academics and consultants said companies should use, but had done so in such an unrestrained way that innovation had almost caused the death of the company.

“What Lego learned is that all innovation is not necessarily profitable innovation,” Robertson said. Out of the 11 products the company had innovated and launched since it began to self-consciously drive innovation, only three of those had been profitable, he said, and of those two were only profitable in some years.

In a question-and-answer period afterward, Robertson said innovators need to be aware of their identity and to innovate to advance that identity, not to abandon that identity. “There needs to be an awareness of what they are and what they are not,” Robertson observed.

Other lessons Lego learned involved limiting the immediate scope of innovations. Innovative teams should not be turned loose on an entire company, Robertson explained, but actually work best when targeted on specific projects.

“From a time of unlimited innovation,” Robertson said, “Lego moved to a situation where teams were asked to create their best police station, their best fire truck.”

Also from THINK 13:

• Virtual Teller Idea Wins THINK Prize 13
• The Great Change Debate
• THINK 13 on Wednesday: Slide Show
• Starring on Google+
• Mayor Booker Keynotes on Change
• Innovation That Maintains Identity
• THINK 13 on Tuesday: Slide Show
• Self-Assessment First Step in Innovation
• Leaders Should Talk Last
• CO-OP Rebrands ATM, Branching Networks
• Chicago Confab Kicks Off