Browse the library

Tag: complexity reduction

Leadership

The Brick that Saved Itself

When LEGO nearly collapsed in the early 2000s, it didn’t save itself with more products, more features, or more meetings. It saved itself by cutting complexity, shrinking the number of unique parts, and selling distractions that weren’t core to the business. The lesson is blunt: complexity is a tax, and someone in operations always ends up paying it. If you want a faster, cleaner operation, the first question isn’t what to add, it’s what to stop doing.

December 31, 2025 David Carneal
Process Improvement

Complexity Is a Tax: Find Your 13,000 Parts

This entry is part 1 of 5 in the series The Brick that Saves It's Self

Complexity doesn’t show up as a single problem. It shows up as thousands of tiny choices, templates, exceptions, and workarounds. LEGO learned the hard way that uncontrolled variation turns into a tax on your people, your systems, and your supply chain. This post gives you a fast ‘13,000 Parts Audit’ to find the mess and remove one version that’s slowing everything down.

October 1, 2025 David Carneal

Learn more about DECG →