#EqualEveryday #Mentoring #Leadership
Why?
Ikea UK & IE strive to be the most inclusive retailer. At Ikea, this means continuing to build and sustain diverse teams that reflect society’s demographics at all levels of leadership, by giving everyone equitable opportunities to perform, develop and grow.
Ikea have designed a reciprocal mentorship programme, pairing senior leaders with co-workers from various under-represented groups, aimed at continuing to build and sustain teams that reflect society at all levels of leadership.
What Challenge Does This Solve?
Win/Win Mentoring is an approach that acknowledges everyone brings knowledge and expertise to the table. Unlike traditional mentoring, where a senior person will mentor a junior colleague, in this form of mentoring, it works both ways; a win-win!
Win/Win Mentoring is a powerful tool that can create individual and systemic change, one conversation at a time. The ethos behind this type of mentoring has always been part of IKEA’s DNA. The name Win/Win Mentoring came directly from one of Ingvar’s letters to co-workers. Through the programme, Ikea offer mentoring for many co-workers to support both individual and professional development.
Ikea want to create a culture where new knowledge is valued, and experienced leaders can advise and support the development of the next generations of leaders at Ikea. It has three main aims:
- To identify and create diverse development initiatives to level up access to career opportunities for potentials from underrepresented groups
- To equip our Leaders to commit to actions and drive changes around ED&I within their teams and markets for greater impact
- To raise awareness of the different perspectives, barriers, and challenges of under-represented groups to create a truly inclusive IKEA
How Do You Implement a Reciprocal Mentorship Programme?
Follow these six steps to plan and integrate a reciprocal mentorship programme into your business:
Step One: Plan your Win/Win Mentoring Programme
Step Two: Recruit co-mentors to be a part of the programme
Step Three: Match together your leaders and co-workers
Step Four: Onboard and upskill your co-mentors through reciprocal learning; sharing knowledge of skills, expertise, values, and experiences
Step Five: Check-in with the co-mentors
Step Six: Graduation and evaluation
Outputs and Achievements
In its first year in 2023, Ikea had 90 graduation participants. The programme paired together 45 senior leaders (Market Managers + Executive Country Management Team + Functional Managers) with 45 co-workers from various under-represented groups across 17 units. Ikea found that:
- Most co-mentors that applied identified a female or as an ethnic minority.
- Over 480 hours of mentorship invested, a positive UPS evaluation score of 8.75 and 20% of co-workers promoted.
- The most popular topics discussed include career progression and networking.
Now into its third year, Win/Win is integrated into the everyday leadership offer for units and store to adopt and implement locally to support their own ED&I ‘close the gap’ initiatives.
Ikea continues to evolve the programme each year, exploring new mentorship techniques such as mentorship circles.
Peter Jelkeby, Country Retail Manager and CSO says:
“I want co-workers to feel they work for a company that is fair and just. Where everyone feels included, where they have an equal chance to develop within IKEA, and where they are seen and heard by their leaders, by their peers and by their colleagues.”
Alignment with the BRC D&I Charter’s Pledges
The BRC Diversity & Inclusion Charter emphasizes creating inclusive workplaces, supporting underrepresented groups, and fostering a culture of equality. Ikea’s Reciprocal Mentorship Programme aligns with Pledges 3 and 5 of the BRC Diversity and Inclusion Charter, seeking to ensure that positive action is taken to 'support open career opportunity and progressions' and that Ikea are 'committed to creating a respectful, inclusive work environment within which every employee has the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the company's vision and values'.
To find out more about Ikea’s Reciprocal Mentoring Programme, please see Ikea's Equal Everyday Commitment, or contact Tanya Hamilton directly.
Find out more about the BRC D&I Charter here.
