Motivation

IKEA, founded in Sweden in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, is a multinational group of companies that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture (such as beds, chairs, and desks), appliances, small motor vehicles and home accessories. The company is known for its modern architectural designs for various types of appliances and furniture, and its interior design work is often associated with an eco-friendly simplistic style. As of August 2015, IKEA owns and operates 373 stores in 47 countries.

In Finland 2012, IKEA was chosen as the best retail employer. This result shows that employee’s motivation serves as a significant part in IKEA’s management. This is due to good working conditions, opportunities for promotion and career growth within the company and job security which causes employees to have a feeling of satisfaction.

“Motivation is a set of force that initiates, directs and makes people persist in their efforts to accomplish a goal” (Williams &McWilliams, 2010, p.213). This article will talk about how IKEA uses motivation in order to achieve success.

Self－Actualization Needs／Growth

IKEA believes that the main motivation of employee development is that everyone needs to learn more. IKEA’s job vacancy information disclosed to employees, promote employees to think and to measure their ability to learn the place, began to manage their own career development. IKEA gave employees the opportunity to learn a lot. An IKEA manager states that "we believe that they should learn in practice so if we have to apply for the position of manager in charge, despite the employees’ knowledge of the structure and reserves may not achieve the desired state, IKEA is still quite willing to give them a chance.

Good Working Conditions

In the work environment, IKEA managers’ first motive is to provide a relax and comfortable physical working environment. IKEA head office employees must be free to allocate their own working hours. For employees in IKEA stores, IKEA does not encourage them to work overtime since IKEA believes that if the intensity of work that employees experience is too large, the employees would tend to be less efficient as well as less productive. IKEA provides a nice and humane working environment for its employees. For instance, IKEA stores and office buildings are designed and built according to their employees’ own style of work ethics. The working environment is also set in a bright and colorful way to promote a stress-free work area. In IKEA, there are large, bright and well-designed cafeterias for staff and employees to enjoy. Free drinks are served all day to quench their thirst while there are also no specific meal times meaning employees could have the freedom to fill their hunger with the scrumptious wide-range of variety of dishes served any time they want. IKEA also offers specialized staff lounge and smoking rooms for other employee needs. In addition, the treatment IKEA employees and managers receive are very equal. You simply could not tell at first glance who the manager or the staff is. In conclusion, these environments and treatments are to ease the pressure on staff and enhance employee-manager relationships that would bring motivation towards the work environment.

Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs Theory

Maslow‘s Hierarchy of Needs Theory showed a pyramid which portrayed the needs of people namely: Physiological, safety, belongingness, esteem and self-actualization needs. IKEA follows this pattern respectively. In this sense, IKEA can keep their work environment safe while encouraging their employees to cooperate and be in unity with their co-workers.