IKEA in Germany 跨文化商务沟通.pptVIP

The IKEA Way in Germany By Li Ke Introduction to IKEA IKEA is a privately held, Dutch company with Swedish origins, that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances, and home accessories. The company is the worlds largest furniture retailer. The company is known for its modern architectural designs on various types of appliances and furniture, often associated with a simplified eco-friendly interior design. In addition, the firm is known for the attention it gives to cost control, operational details and continuous product development, allowing it to lower its prices by an average of two to three percent over the decade to 2010, while continuing its global expansion. As of October 2011, IKEA has 332 stores in 38 countries. Case Description Germany is the largest national organization in the IKEA group, accounting for about 30 percent of the total group sales through more than 20 stores. Although IKEA has been established in Germany for more than two decades, Swedish management is still perceived by German IKEA members as peculiar. The Germans are very disciplined and precise. They do exactly what the boss asks them to do and what is agreed or put down in writing. A problem is that the Swedish notion of “taking on responsibilities for yourself,” the cornerstone of their work policy, is not perceived in the same way by the Germans, who have a tendency to adhere very closely to precisely defined rules and instructions. When IKEA translated the corporate brochure the IKEA Way into German, a need was felt to sharpen and make more explicit the original Swedish text which presented key IKEA concepts in sometimes vague terms in order to give freedom to people to adapt them and take personal responsibility for carrying them out. Once, Anders Moberg suggested in a letter that certain merchandising displays could be used in a variety of places. In Germany, Department managers interpreted this as an order and systematically set up the displays in every part