Ikea
1. Abstract IKEA is a furniture company founded by a Swedish billionaire - Ingvar Kamprad, who is a successful leader and a living legend of IKEA. He made a great contribution to the innovation and successes of IKEA as well as keeping it grow strongly: Just in 10 years, sales of IKEA tripled from over $ 4 billion in 1993 to more than $ 12 billion in 2003. Starting a new career with IKEA by small business in the village Agunnaryd Elmtary - where Kamprad lived, but finally he turned to selling furniture. Since 1952, IKEA 's innovation has changed the furniture industry with the initiative "flat-pack method" for IKEA furniture products. 04 years later (1956), "the concept has almost completely codified" (Kamprad wrote).
One of the great successes of Ingvar Kamprad is the shaping and maintaining of an IKEA culture closely linked to his native Sweden. This is a culture of solidarity (empathetically agreed by many people). That culture aims at "making the daily life many people better". This culture is strengthened and supported by IKEA through:
• Employing co-workers (IKEA prefers the word “co-workers” to “employees”) who know how to support each other and have good spirit of teamwork;
• Expecting co-workers to find innovative and better ways to do tasks in every aspect;
• Respecting co-workers and their opinions;
• Setting goals for the whole company, co-workers and working tirelessly to achieve them;
• Making cost become a part of everything they do, from improving the manufacturing process, shopping wisely, to traveling less expensively;
• Avoiding complex solution - the simplicity is an important part of the IKEA culture;
• Leadership by actions, so IKEA leaders are expected to embark in working when needed and create a better working environment; and
• Believing that a diverse workforce helps strengthen the company as a whole.
2. Answering the questions
2.1. Question 1: Discuss three elements of inputs in the Congruence Model that brought success to
One of the great successes of Ingvar Kamprad is the shaping and maintaining of an IKEA culture closely linked to his native Sweden. This is a culture of solidarity (empathetically agreed by many people). That culture aims at "making the daily life many people better". This culture is strengthened and supported by IKEA through:
• Employing co-workers (IKEA prefers the word “co-workers” to “employees”) who know how to support each other and have good spirit of teamwork;
• Expecting co-workers to find innovative and better ways to do tasks in every aspect;
• Respecting co-workers and their opinions;
• Setting goals for the whole company, co-workers and working tirelessly to achieve them;
• Making cost become a part of everything they do, from improving the manufacturing process, shopping wisely, to traveling less expensively;
• Avoiding complex solution - the simplicity is an important part of the IKEA culture;
• Leadership by actions, so IKEA leaders are expected to embark in working when needed and create a better working environment; and
• Believing that a diverse workforce helps strengthen the company as a whole.
2. Answering the questions
2.1. Question 1: Discuss three elements of inputs in the Congruence Model that brought success to
References: 4.1. Course book: Leadership Theories and Concepts (for MBA, by CMU). 4.2. Lectures by Dr. Dominic Mwenja- Rector of California Miramar University. 4.3. http://vneconomy.vn