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Performance Management Coaching

Embedding a coaching culture at IKEA with coaching training

IKEA embarked on a journey to harness its unique corporate culture and management style to drive business performance. To do this they needed to equip their managers with performance management coaching skills to complement the existing management style and expand the portfolio of management and leadership skills.

“Having been involved in many aspects of training within IKEA at all levels over the past 10 years, the coaching programme facilitated by Performance Consultants was miles ahead of any in-house programme relating to coaching that I have been involved with and the business results speak for themselves.”
Phil Rogers, UK Top Talent Development Director, IKEA

The Client

As the world’s largest furniture retailer, IKEA is a multinational company developing solutions that influence the lives and future of millions. The IKEA culture and values reflect the entrepreneurial spirit of its founder Ingvar Kamprad and are essential to its global success.

The 8 IKEA key values are togetherness, caring for people and planet, cost-consciousness, simplicity, renew and improve, different with a meaning, give and take responsibility, lead by example.

IKEA logo

The Challenge

IKEA wanted to drive business performance by strengthening management and leadership skills.

They were looking to:

  • Up-skill and establish a solid management and leadership style
  • Improve performance
  • Complement the IKEA culture and values

They needed a performance management coaching course that would embed a coaching culture based on IKEA’s values and improve on the previously low take-up and effectiveness of their in-house management and leadership development trainings.

“We believe that every individual has something valuable to offer and we strive to have the same values in the way we work.”
IKEA

Our Approach

Performance Consultants designed and delivered an accredited train-the-trainer performance management coaching programme to 750 managers and supervisors in the UK.

This included:

  • Interactive foundation seminar: To inspire the team and to share the vision of what could be created by adopting a values-based performance management and leadership approach. This really lit the imagination of the top team and created the optimal momentum and placement for the rest of the project. Simultaneously, IKEA’s training to date and HR material were revized and updated.
  • Developing coaching skills: The train the trainer coaching programme included modules from our existing Coaching for Performance training programme which aligned with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) – the industry gold standard for people who want to lead and manage in a coaching style. These modules were customized to suit IKEA’s business and training needs.
  • Certification ⎯ internal pool of managers and supervisors accredited to deliver the training.
  • Sustaining the learning ⎯ internal coaching champions were identified to keep the training momentum and practical application going.
  • After the success of a pilot study for 80 managers and supervisors, we delivered an in-house roll-out to 750 managers in the UK.

The Results

All participants passed their assessment (some requiring additional support and training) and became accredited. They are now delivering 2-day Performance Management Coaching courses in branches all over the country and training new in-house trainers.

Departments whose managers attended performance management coaching training:

  • Saw a 5% KPI increase (4% is considered significant)
  • Went from 60% scores in management ability to 90% scores across the board
  • One department went from 3rd worst performer to top performer

As a result of the programme, Performance Consultants have:

  • Generated extremely high internal motivation and enthusiasm for the coaching training among participants and their teams
  • Received consistently great feedback praising the approach and coaching training delivered
  • Collected great stories of how the coaching training has impacted the business, reduced costs and improved creativity

Reflections with Sir John Whitmore

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