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Friday, 13 December 2013

Ingvar Kamprad: Wealthy Man, Frugal Man, Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

Ingvar Kamprad, a Swedish business magnate, illustrates that he is the boss and a manager, into which he promotes steadiness and constancy, by the qualities of commencements at the work. He acquires his as well as of his staff ideas and use them for the further success of IKEA. He is established as one of the most victorious leaders as he looks for a change and also search for new advancements to the problems. He has worked very hard to build up the corporation and then accomplished triumph from his thoughts and ideas. He has a thriftiness attitude as he alleged that there were no warranties to success lacking the hard work. He had never been money careless or inefficient person. It can be said by the fact that he has never travelled in first class. (Farfan, 2011) He as a manager and a leader have made it a routine that all the IKEA staff either senior executives or managers; they will all travel in an economy class. (Bernhardt, 2005)
            He has always worked on the theory that we must not waste our money. What we have in the present age is not guaranteed that the same we will have in the future. So everyone should try his best to save money. It is for sure that wealth is just a matter of time. It is not necessary that if at present age something is under one’s ownership than in the future it will remain in the same hands. To be successful in life and to always lead a happy life we should follow the path of Kamprad had set. He is the director of one of the biggest company related to furniture. But he lives in a simple life and saves his money for the future. He had always economized himself when purchasing any thing for himself. He is the role model of many persons in his simple and easy life. Kamprad had encouraged the group by his own viewpoint. He had said that if there is such an item as a good guidance and leadership, it is to present an excellent example.
The nature of follower ship that Kamprad seems to give confidence at IKEA is that of efficient and helpful followers. His workers ought to be responsible in their duty, active and self-directed in their deeds. All of the staff must be decisive in their ideas and highly occupied in their occupation as visible with IKEA achievement. The actuality that one chief feature of IKEA appeared to be for the reason that of a member of staff, expresses that how vital are the ideas. The workers are at all times kept provoked by Ingvar as he prolongs to reveal and replicate what he has been taught. He supports and persuades the scholarly and logical expansion and growth.
The leadership orientation used by a successful leader Ingvar is that of a 9 + 9 group director or manager.   He exercises a paternalistic move towards the company which means to give a father figure. In the company’s best he proceeds to the fact that of “a father knows best”. This is portrayed by his constrain for income and revenues and his pursuit, the mission, to the betterment of his staff employees. He shares his viewpoints and experiences with them.  He always tell his workers about what he has learned and would like them to not be wasteful and lavish in spending and to constantly think ahead of the contemporary way to better the things.     
Ingvar Kamprad is a transformational, transactional, charismatic and an authentic leader. He exhibits all the qualities. (Mullins, 2010) Transactional headship is referred as an individual with rewards, prizes and penalties that will help the person to shape his personality and behavior. Ingvar was at all times ready to accept any mistake if happened and learn from it. This is a true leader who after exposing his weaknesses and qualities comes out in the public as a positive director. Transformational leadership was also found in Ingvar. It amplifies a company’s presentation and motivates the followers to greater levels of the performance. The components found in Ingvar as a transformational leader are as an; intellectual simulator: when a leader drives his supporters to be innovative and find new ways of performance at work place, as an inspirational motivator. When the leader’s actions offer meaning and significance to the followers, giving an individual consideration; when a leader supply his time to pay attention to his workers and giving an idealized influence i.e. a leader’s charm and allure and the respect of his admirers.
Kamprad has a charismatic specialty in his leadership also. His charisma assists him to move towards his subsidiaries and persuades them. His performances at work place build up the culture of the company.
As per to Mullins, (2010) many investigation studies have assembled with little victory trying to recognize common qualities of dissimilar leaders. However some common traits are found among the leaders so it is probable to make out some of the guidance individualities for flourishing leaders such as intelligence, self-confidence and initiative.
Ingvar Kamprad had these qualities in his personality. Making blunders and inaccuracies was all right for Ingvar. He used to say that only the people who are asleep cannot make any mistakes. He was a self-assurance leader. In earlier times when he was setting up his production, the dealers of Sweden started approaching suppliers so as to not to give him raw materials. Kamprad in this situation acts fast by leaving to Poland to purchase material from there to mount up his new business of receiving meridian, which illustrates that he was very initiative.
The qualities of an authentic leader are that they act with reliability, they encourage the people for their creativity, listen enthusiastically, organize time schedules, have tolerance and compassion and they give importance to the associates of the group. All of these qualities are found in Ingvar which makes him an authentic leader.

            The major leadership lesson learnt from Kamprad’s experiences is that one must be able to accept his mistakes. Because a person can not always be correct, he is at fault in some part of life. Mistakes are a must ingredient on the road of success. One must develop thriftiness and frugality in his personality to become a refined leader like Ingvar Kamprad. A leader like Kamprad will only be formed if one develops the leadership qualities like him and work economically.
References
Barbra Fartan (2011), IKEA Founder Ingvar Kamprad Quotations About IKEA Retailing and Management, Retrieved from, http://retailindustry.about.com/od/retailleaderquotes/a/Ikea-Founder-Ingvar-Kamprad-Quotations-About-Ikea-Retailing-And-Management.htm&gt
Ken Bernhardt (2005), IKEA crafted itself into a cult brand, Retrieved from, http://robinson.gsu.edu/news/bernhardt/2005/11_25_05.html 
Mullins, L. (2010), Management & Organisational Behaviour, Pearson Education

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