Learnings from the webinar "Coaching in people development at IKEA"

IKEA Switzerland relies on a shared leadership approach, introduced globally in 2022. The concept that characterizes their work culture is that everyone has the potential to lead. Continuous development is not just part of career planning, but an integral part of the work processes.

The creation of clear development programs, such as "Grow with IKEA", enables employees to develop their potential at an early stage. These programs are not limited to career development, but also promote a culture of lifelong learning. An impressive 80% of participants subsequently advance to management positions.

IKEA Switzerland consistently relies on the integrative application of internal and external coaching, including their partnership with Sharpist. The aim is to support key transitions, be it new management tasks, moving to another area of the company or a change in role - especially in situations where managers have to overcome individual challenges. Transitional situations, in which managers may feel isolated, are a concern.

Management development at IKEA Switzerland is carefully planned - with coaching used in two ways:

Next Step Coaching:

This approach is aimed at aspiring managers who want to move up from team leader to department head. Here, basic knowledge is imparted and accompanied by coaching in order to achieve the defined goals.

Regular Coaching:

This is where managers set clear goals in their development plan. Sharpist is involved to help them take a broader view of their role. This goes beyond the usual performance management and offers managers who want to achieve their goals a targeted opportunity for further development.

IKEA Switzerland has been working successfully with Sharpist since 2020. The decision to choose Sharpist as a partner was based on its comprehensive offering, flexibility and impressive network of coaches. This targeted selection proved to be a decisive success factor and significantly supported leadership development and the integration of coaching measures.

By working with Sharpist, IKEA Switzerland is given a dashboard that tracks the focus areas and satisfaction of employees as well as the utilization rate. Personal feedback also plays a role in the continuous improvement and adaptation of coaching strategies. The impressive increase in leadership satisfaction since the cooperation with Sharpist underlines the sustainable success.

The leadership index, based on regular employee surveys, serves as a key KPI. Since working with Sharpist in 2020, the satisfaction percentage has risen from 81% to an impressive 88%. Coaching contributes significantly to this increase despite a period of external turbulence and uncertainty.