Do you think you’d fit into Ikea’s culture? To assess, go to www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/

the_ikea_story/working_at_ikea/our_values.html# and answer the 10 questions.

What did you learn about yourself?

It is easy to say that supportive and people-centred cultures typically have more engaged and productive employees. But does that mean that the organization has an environment of well-being? As with most answers, “it all depends.”
Senior leaders in particular need to act and behave in a way that creates and maintains a great work environment—one that values and puts trust in its people and ensures that there is open communication at all levels. But where are such leaders found?
Sun Life Financial, a financial services company with headquarters in Toronto, takes great pride in making employee health the core of its positive work culture—one that it says makes the company so successful. Its health focus includes physical and psychological well-being for its employees and their families. In order to maintain this focus, managers are trained to recognize and be able to respond to unusual situations, to communicate effectively, and to engage employees in work activities that sustain the culture. The managers are also critical in helping employees understand the company’s values and what is important to everyone. Managers are also trained to acknowledge and thank employees on a regular basis; it isn’t enough to just do this occasionally.