The Story of Ikea

How creativity and action in the face of the unexpected and shaped their future

As you may have heard me say, serendipity is the engine of innovation and winning strategy. It enables you to discover the unseeable, explore the unexplored, and benefit from the unexpected, or “unknown, unknowns”. (If you’re new to the “unknown, unknowns” idea, jump to the bottom of this post for more detail.)

This week, we share a story of how being open to the unexpected and acting on the opportunity it provides can create exponential value for an organization.

So let’s talk about IKEA.

In case you’re not familiar with IKEA, they are a furniture retailer headquartered in Sweden. They are known for their combined store-warehouse format in which you stroll through their stores, writing down the rows and shelves of the items you want. You then collect your items from the shelves and rows on your way to check-out.

Have you ever wondered why their stores are like this? Do you assume it was the result of an innovative strategy involving target demographics, Venn diagrams, and competitive analysis that landed them here? Spoiler alert — it wasn’t.

In reality, it was a series of unexpected events in which open minds and creative choices led IKEA to where they are today. Does IKEA matter? As of…