IKEA宜家运营管理案例分析

WorldResourcesInstituteSustainaAprogramoftheWorldResourcesInstitutebleEnterpriseProgramIKEAANDTHENATURALSTEPInSeptember1995,JanKjellmantookoveraspresidentofIKEANorthAmerica,theU.S.andCanadiansubsidiaryoftheSwedishfurnituregiant.AtIKEA’sheadquartersoutsidePhiladelphia,Pennsylvania,Kjellmansatathisdesk,locatedinanopen,brightlysunlitbay.Hisassistant,alsotheservicecenterofficemanager,satatanearbydeskafewfeetaway.Co-workerswalkedthroughonesideofthebay,headingforthecoffeeroom.Onthelandingbelowthepresident’sofficewasapedestalbearingalargegrayrock.ItwasfromtherockyandpoorlandinÄlmhult,asmallvillageintheprovinceofSmåland,Sweden,whereIKEA’sfounderwasbornandwherethedesignandproductioncoreofIKEA’sbusinesswasstilllocated.Formorethanadecade,WRI'sSustainableEnterpriseProgram(SEP)hasharnessedthepowerofbusinesstocreateprofitablesolutionstoenvironmentanddevelopmentchallenges.BELL,aprojectofSEP,isfocusedonworkingwithmanagersandacademicstomakecompaniesmorecompetitivebyapproachingsocialandenvironmentalchallengesasunmetmarketneedsthatprovidebusinessgrowthopportunitiesthroughentrepreneurship,innovation,andorganizationalchange.PermissiontoreprintthiscaseisavailableattheBELLcasestore.AdditionalinformationontheCaseSeries,BELL,andWRIisavailableat:änCarstedt,whohadmovedbacktoSwedentotakeresponsibilityforworldwidemarketingandtheEuropeanretailstores.Carstedthadturnedthesubsidiaryaroundsince1991,increasingsalestoover$700millionandmovingthecompanytonumberthreeintheU.S.market.Kjellmanwasdevelopinganagendatobuildonthatsuccess.Oneimportantpieceofthatagendawasthecompany’senvironmentalstanceinNorthAmerica.OverthepastseveralyearsIKEAhadarticulatedastrongenvironmentalpolicyandwaswellintoitsimplementationintheparentcompany.ByincorporatingenvironmentalprinciplesprovidedbyTheNaturalStep(TNS)organizationinStockholm,IKEAhaddevelopeditsownenvironmentalstatement,policiesforproductdesign,supplierrelations,andoperations,aswellaseducationalmaterialsforconsumersmtheretailstores.TNSwasaneducationalorganizationthatofferedapracticalguidetocompanieswishingtolimittheiradverseeffectsonthenaturalenvironment(seeExhibit1).Thethreeco-workerstrainedbyTNShadreturnedtoNorthAmericaandtrainedpeopleintheretailstores,anddiscussionshadbegunwithcertainNorthAmericansuppliersaboutthecompany’senvironmentalvaluesandTNSprinciples.ThiscasewaspreparedbyJoelReichertunderthedirectionofAndreaLarson,DardenGraduateSchoolofBusinessAdministration,UniversityofVirginia.SupportwasprovidedbytheWorldResourcesInstitute.Copyright©1998WorldResourcesInstitute.2IKEAandTheNaturalStepKjellmanreflectedonthedifferencesbetweentheScandinavian/EuropeanmarketsandtheNorthAmericanmarket.LedbyGermany,manyoftheEuropeanandScandinaviannationshadbeenactiveforseveralyearsusingpublicpolicyandregulationtoencourageinnovationandcompetitivenessbyfirmsaroundenvironmentalissues.WhiletheU.S/CanadamarketsgenerallytrailedtheScandinavian/Europeanmarketsintheseareas,KjellmanfeltsureIKEA’senvironmentalstrategycouldbecomeacompetitiveadvantagehereaswell.PublicconcernforenvironmentalissueswasstronginNorthAmerica,andlocalauthoritieswerecomingunderincreasingpressuretoprotectenvironmentalresourcesanddealwithrelatedpublichealthmatters(suchastoxicmaterials,landfillmanagement,orcleanwater).Recentpoliticalshiftsinthefederalgovernment,toreduceoreliminateenvironmentalcontrolswouldnoteliminatetheissuesandcouldincreasetheneedforprivatecompaniestobecomemoreactivepartnerswithlocalgovernmentsandconsumerstosolveproblems.Kjellmanconsideredthepossibilities.Shouldheencouragetheretailstorestodomore?The“TrashIsCash”wastereductionprogramthathadworkedwellinGothenberg,Sweden,couldbeimplementedinallstores.OrshouldtheemphasisbeontheproductionsideandacceleratingtheconsiderationoftheseissueswithNorthAmericansuppliers?ByapplyingEuropeanstandardstoNorthAmericasuppliers,IKEAhadalreadycausedsomeinnovation,buttherewasroomforimprovement.IKEAOriginsandHistoryIKEAwasanacronymderivedfromtheinitialsofitsfounder,IngvarKamprad,hisfarmElmtaryd,andhiscounty,Agunnaryd,inSmåland,SouthSweden.Kampradbeganhisventurein1943attheageof17,bysellingfish,magazines,andseeds.Withinthenextfewyears,KampraddevelopedIKEAintoamail-orderbusinesssellingavarietyofconsumerandhouseholdproducts.Hisproductlineincludedhomefurniture(madebysubcontractors),whichquicklybecametheprimaryfocusofhisnewcompany.Inthepost-waryearsofthelate1940s,youngerhouseholdsbegandemandingnew,inexpensivefurniture,astheSwedishtraditionofhandingdowncustom-madefurniturethroughthegenerationswaswaning.Atthesametime,Swedishfurnituremanufacturersartificiallyinflatedpricesbyusinginter-associationcontractsbetweenretailersandsuppliers.Theresultwasanincreaseinfurnitureprices43percentmorethanotherhouseholdgoods.Mostfurnitureretailersandmanufacturerswerecreatingbeautiful,newhouseholditemsaffordablebyonlythesmallproportionofrelativelywell-to-dopeople.ThissituationpresentedwhatKampradsawasbothasocialproblemandabusinessopportunity.Lookingbeyondfurnituretohouseholdprodu