Spotlight on Diversity: Mark Moynihan of The LEGO Group
October 15, 2019 | In the past year, The LEGO Group has been recognized as a global leader in corporate responsibility and created new offerings like the first-ever LEGO Braille Bricks that open the doors of play to even more kids and families.
Toy News Tuesday editors chatted with Mark Moynihan, a member of The Toy Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the ELT People Partner of LEGO Retail, about the work The LEGO Group has put into ensuring diversity and inclusion are implemented at all levels of its organization, and how others can do the same.
Question: Why was it important to you to join the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and why do you feel this is an important topic to address in the toy/youth industries?
Moynihan: My passion for D&I started with my daughter, Kate. She struggled quite a lot in school with not feeling accepted for who she is. It hit a head in high school, and I saw first-hand how it impacted her and limited her from being at her best. Her struggle not only made me realize what I have taken for granted as I’ve grown up in life and in my career, but it also made me extremely concerned about whether I was unintentionally having that same impact on someone else’s daughter, spouse, or sibling in the various roles I play in my life.
I think the topic of D&I has never been more relevant – particularly in the toy/youth industries – given the various social forces at play. Our country has never been more ethnically rich, politically polarized, or shaped by social media than the way it is today. Given the rapid change and the complexity of the challenges we face in today’s environment, we need people valuing the differences of others to solve our most challenging organizational and societal issues. Based on what I’ve read and experienced, general acceptance and ability to embrace different points of view – the very things we need to be successful in the future – are under serious threat. As such, I feel that there is a lot more that we can do to set up our youth to successfully navigate the world they are preparing to enter as adults, and I want to be a part of contributing to that solution.
Question: D&I is a key component to LEGO’s mission. Can you give examples of how LEGO is creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment?
Moynihan: A few years ago, we organized around a group of highly energized colleagues to create a D&I movement within the organization. Since then, we’ve conducted campus-wide formal training and consistently engaged with local leadership teams on campus. Our time with leadership has been spent sharing learnings and best practices, as well as elevating awareness on the role that leaders can play to create a more inclusive environment, and to actively pursue diversity in recruitment and promotions.
Based on the premise that we all have biases, we equipped people leaders with what we call “bias interrupters” to complement our people process tools, help disrupt our normal evaluation process, and increase our objectivity.
We have also established a work stream, working closely with our HR organization, to increase ethnic diversity in our hiring processes. They have tackled things that range from evaluating the quality of the language in our job postings to examining our digital and social media presence from a candidate’s point of view. We’ve rallied the campus around calendar moments like our Pride celebration and International Women’s Day.
In response to employee feedback following unconscious bias training, we have placed posters in each meeting room on campus to not only remind colleagues what great inclusive behavior looks like, but to invite people to help each other with self-awareness when we either role model inclusion or demonstrate behavior that works against our ambition.
Question: How can a more diverse workforce help to better answer the needs of today’s diverse consumers?
Moynihan: The business case for diversity and inclusion is well documented. In short, companies that do D&I really well have the following in common:
- They financially outperform their competitive set
- Are more innovative
- Make better long-term decisions for the company
The more this space is researched, the more robust these findings become.
As we know, that typically starts with an exceptionally strong understanding of the consumers and shoppers those organizations are serving. The diversity of today’s landscape presents significantly more complexity than it has in the past. Following our traditional product development processes will not yield the same results. If our workforce doesn’t reflect the consumer base to whom we are trying to appeal, there is a high probability that we are missing both commercial opportunities, as well as the chance to positively impact segments of our population – globally and locally – with the unique play benefits of our offerings.
Question: How can the toy/youth products industry work together as a whole to better advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace? Where does it start?
Moynihan: I think it begins with what this committee has started, which is by creating the space for the discussion and support for how we can collectively improve our impact in this space. We all have our own unique cultures, values, perspectives, and, frankly, blind spots. I think there’s a lot to gain by learning from each other because the challenges are too big for all the answers to lie in any one organization.
Question: Any final thoughts?
Moynihan: We really appreciate the opportunity to be included in this dialogue. Given the way this industry has consistently delivered for kids for so many years, it’s extremely energizing to think about what’s possible when we put our collective energy toward improving diversity and inclusion for consumers and employees alike.
This interview is part of an ongoing series that spotlights the members on The Toy Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Previously featured members include Walmart’s Anne Marie Kehoe and Mattel’s Kim Culmone.