IKEA: Separation Of The Three Powers Of The Successor

Kamprad, who was born in 1926, is now nearly 90 years old and ranked eighth on Bloomberg's 2014 global billionaire index. How to inherit the huge family property? and IKEA Group Who should take over? The problem is imminent.

Kamprad has three sons. Peter Kamprad, the eldest son, is known as the "replica" of Ingvar. He has a bad temper, but he has excellent management ability and organizational ability. Jonas Kamprad, the second son, majored in design and was once responsible for IKEA design. Although the sales of the products he designed are not very good, he still has a passion for design. Jonas is very different from his father. He is not good at expressing himself and is afraid to appear in public because of his stuttering. He is not as keen on showing leadership as his two brothers. On the contrary, he is willing to obey leadership. The youngest son, Mathews Kamprad, was full of personality when he was young. When he was in charge of IKEA, he was self-centered and did not like to listen to others' opinions. However, he lacked correct judgment, which caused some elders' dissatisfaction. When Kamprad arranged his youngest son Matthews to be the head of IKEA's Swedish headquarters, he was opposed by the head of IKEA Europe Lamassen, but the final result was that Lamassen was dismissed and could not have any contact with IKEA in the future. It is obvious that Kamprad hopes to place all three sons in the kingdom he created as important positions to ensure the absolute control of IKEA by the family, and not allow outsiders to interfere with his decision.

Before the old man's power was completely devolved, the three brothers who seemed to be united actually fought openly and secretly. Stennert, the former chairman of Yingeka Holding Company, is Kamprad's brother-in-law. He has worked in the company for many years and has a strong ability. He also has a comprehensive understanding of the company's business. As for the successor, Stennert believed that Peter was indecisive and poor in judgment, so he supported Matthews, the third brother, to take over. Of course, Peter was dissatisfied with this, and then he was removed from the position of chairman of Yingka Holdings, becoming a victim of the succession dispute.

In June 2013, 87 year old Kamprad announced that he would withdraw from the board of directors of Intel IKEA and his youngest son Matthews would serve as the chairman. So far, the founder Kamprad almost completely withdrew from the control of IKEA Group, and his three sons continued to take over. Peter, the eldest son, is responsible for taking over the IKEA Foundation - the treasury of the Kamprad family, and also serves as the chairman of the supervision committee of the Incana Group, which is also an important task. Look at Jonas, the second son. Although Jonas is not as popular as the two brothers, he has a strong interest in design and product lines, and has extensive product experience. He eventually served on the supervision committee of Ingka Holdings, responsible for the operation of IKEA Group.

In the complex structure design of IKEA Kingdom, the operation of IKEA brand ownership, the operation of IKEA Foundation and IKEA Group are equally important. The interwoven network of "company and foundation" created by Kamprad has successfully dispersed the power of various organizations within the group, avoiding the situation of brothers competing for inheritance rights. Since then, there has been no new contradiction between the heirs.

Besides enterprise management, who will take the helm of Kamprad's huge asset management? There is also a role that cannot be ignored in IKEA system - Incana Group. Inkana Group provides financial, insurance, real estate investment, retail and other services to the outside world. It seems to be an independent group company, but the outside world agrees that the establishment of Inkana Group is actually to manage the huge property of the Kamprad family.

Inkana Group, formerly a subsidiary of IKEA Group, became independent in 1988 Luxembourg Its three founders are just three sons of Kamprad. Within the Incana Group, the Supervisory Committee is the highest decision-making level, and the Supervisory Committee is headed by the chairman. Since its inception, Peter, Kamprad's eldest son, has always held this position, and his youngest son and second son are also on the list of members of the supervision committee.

Kamprad built a complex and exquisite IKEA kingdom for the camp step by step, and quietly built a high wall for the family, which not only gathered wealth in the family, but also controlled the entire control in the hands of family members, not allowing outsiders to step in.

When Kamprad founded IKEA, he hoped to devote himself to making furniture that most people could afford. Adhering to this concept, IKEA has become the world's largest home furnishing retailer. Today, IKEA's business philosophy has reached a new height, that is, "to create a better life for most people".

IKEA has a strong corporate culture, such as a relaxed working atmosphere: work clothes are jeans and sweaters, no honorifics are used between superiors and subordinates, and colleagues get along like family members. In this unique culture, employees have a sense of ownership, and their career development and the company's development plan have a blend point, which makes it easier to regard IKEA's interests as personal interests. IKEA's executive selection is also very distinctive. The senior management of its headquarters is mostly Nordic, that is, Scandinavian. Nordic countries have their own unique cultural atmosphere. They follow the simple and people-oriented spirit and are very opposed to the bureaucratic style of work. Kamprad believes that this culture forms the dominant ethical ideology of IKEA's business, so speaking Swedish and understanding Swedish national spirit become very important principles in executive selection. In addition, IKEA culture also believes that the management composed of people from similar ethnic groups will lead to higher efficiency.

It can be said that the reason why IKEA became today's IKEA was strongly influenced by Kamprad's own personality and thinking. IKEA is a personal amplification of Kamprad. After 1970, Kamprad began to accept the frugal and simple management philosophy, and also followed the low-key and simple principles in life. No one knows what he experienced at that time, but the concept of "simplicity is virtue" has since become the most important core value of IKEA. In addition, Kamprad's high standard entrepreneurial goals and strict self requirements form the origin of IKEA culture.

In IKEA's corporate culture, corporate responsibility is one of the most important elements. IKEA Foundation is currently the largest donor to UNICEF. In IKEA stores, there are also many products made of environmentally friendly materials on display. IKEA's corporate culture can be summed up in simple words: enthusiasm for life, willingness to continue to innovate, constant cost awareness, modest and low-key lifestyle and corporate social responsibility. This series of cultural construction has turned IKEA into a "negative news" non stick pot. Even though IKEA has been recalled several times due to quality problems, it is not enough to undermine consumers' trust in the world's largest furniture store, and IKEA's sales are also booming.

IKEA has a history of more than 70 years since its establishment. It has experienced many roadblocks, large and small. Instead of decline, it has become more and more courageous. Kamprad His low profile almost made people forget the richest old man in the world. His three sons also learned his father's set of principles and lived a low-key and simple life. They were not as active in the media as other dandies. Kamprad once said, "IKEA will never go public." The transparency brought about by the listing will inevitably hinder the operation of the complex "IKEA system", but in addition, he strongly rejected all speculation and put all his energy on the main business. Kamprad believes that listing will make shareholders only focus on short-term interests, and after listing, about 30% of the profits need to be allocated to shareholders every year. If the money is not listed, it can become the company's reserve for development.

Control costs, create innovative stores, and advocate the corporate culture of "simplicity is virtue". In terms of company operation, the company avoids the roadblocks of high taxes and family disputes through separate organizational structure designs such as "brand access" and "foundation". Kamprad has created a unique culture and business philosophy for IKEA, and has a low-key style The complex structure is designed to build a high wall for the family, forming an IKEA kingdom firmly controlled by Kamprad family members.