Ikea Global Retailer
AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE COMPLEX PROCESS OF
CULTURE BUILDING IN AN ORGANIZATION AND ACROSS BORDERS – USING THE EXAMPLE OF IKEA
BACHELOR THESIS
Authors: Emilie Martens (19860203) Tobias Mauelshagen (19810623) Course: IBO 348 – VT 2007
Examiner and Tutor: Richard Nakamura
Växjö universitet Ekonomihögskolan 31st of May 2007
ABSTRACT
i
Abstract
Nowadays, companies face many difficulties due to the much competitive environment they have to evolve in. Therefore, multinational ones, particularly dealing with customers and employees, as well as competitors worldwide, have to take all the tools available into consideration to be able to stay afloat, or, at best, to be successful. Culture can be one of those efficient tools that can be used to make sure that the company will gain competitive advantages on the long run. However, the development of a strategy based on cultural aspects is not that easy as culture is a very complex and hardly understandable phenomenon – no matter if it is national culture, or, as here in this thesis, corporate.1 Thus, as this thesis focus on the employee’s side, it is obvious to imagine that the more numerous the countries, in which IKEA as the focused company wants to be present, are, the harder it will be to deal with cultural aspects and then to be successful thanks to a correct understanding on every side.
How does a multinational company deal with culture within the company and across borders?
This above research question is the base of our research process. It seems indeed to be interesting to focus on a company implemented all over the world to wonder then whether this company manages to deal with cultural differences when crossing borders IKEA as a multinational company is then an example that can be used to write such a thesis. On the one hand, it is a company which deeply plays with its image and culture and broadcast a particular corporate culture based on Swedish roots. On the other hand, IKEA, since the
CULTURE BUILDING IN AN ORGANIZATION AND ACROSS BORDERS – USING THE EXAMPLE OF IKEA
BACHELOR THESIS
Authors: Emilie Martens (19860203) Tobias Mauelshagen (19810623) Course: IBO 348 – VT 2007
Examiner and Tutor: Richard Nakamura
Växjö universitet Ekonomihögskolan 31st of May 2007
ABSTRACT
i
Abstract
Nowadays, companies face many difficulties due to the much competitive environment they have to evolve in. Therefore, multinational ones, particularly dealing with customers and employees, as well as competitors worldwide, have to take all the tools available into consideration to be able to stay afloat, or, at best, to be successful. Culture can be one of those efficient tools that can be used to make sure that the company will gain competitive advantages on the long run. However, the development of a strategy based on cultural aspects is not that easy as culture is a very complex and hardly understandable phenomenon – no matter if it is national culture, or, as here in this thesis, corporate.1 Thus, as this thesis focus on the employee’s side, it is obvious to imagine that the more numerous the countries, in which IKEA as the focused company wants to be present, are, the harder it will be to deal with cultural aspects and then to be successful thanks to a correct understanding on every side.
How does a multinational company deal with culture within the company and across borders?
This above research question is the base of our research process. It seems indeed to be interesting to focus on a company implemented all over the world to wonder then whether this company manages to deal with cultural differences when crossing borders IKEA as a multinational company is then an example that can be used to write such a thesis. On the one hand, it is a company which deeply plays with its image and culture and broadcast a particular corporate culture based on Swedish roots. On the other hand, IKEA, since the
References: Articles Bennis W., 1996, “Two views of leadership”, Harvard Business Review, Vol