????達爾維格詮釋了宜家保持其低成本優(yōu)勢的手法，就是通過批量購買貨物，控制整個供應鏈等。這跟好市多公司（Costco）和喬氏連鎖店（Trader Joe's）的經(jīng)營策略并無二致。此外，宜家公司還把組裝和運輸貨物等任務委托給顧客，讓他們親自參與分銷流程。達爾維格聲稱，顧客自身參與的事情越多，他們獲得的購物體驗就越好（對于那些徘徊在宜家倉庫周圍，對著Grevb?ck書柜或Folldal床架這類家具束手無策的人來說，這種說法或許值得商榷）。

????但達爾維格認為，顧客遭遇的這些麻煩是值得的。他指出，顧客在供應鏈中承擔的責任越大，家具的價格就越低。如果顧客不愿意在周六花費一下午的時間研讀宜家的安裝手冊，他大可不必費這個事；他可以選擇由宜家公司送貨上門，購買不需要多少自己動手組裝的貨物。但這樣做的結(jié)果是，他必須得支付更多的鈔票。

????如果你想了解宜家的故事或這家公司詳盡的成長歷程，這本書或許不太適合。從一開始，達爾維格就鄭重地告誡讀者，這并非本書的目標；相反，他只是以自己長期的老東家為例，告訴我們一家大公司如何才能做正確的事情。

????不過，達爾維格的確簡單回顧了一下宜家演變?yōu)橐患宜饺顺钟械牧闶劬揞^（該公司2009年的營收高達310億美元）的簡短歷史。但這本書的大部分內(nèi)容都講的是管理——激勵和鼓舞員工；在公司壯大以后保持創(chuàng)業(yè)的激情；培養(yǎng)忠誠和多樣性；CEO扮演的角色等等。這本書對于如何讓一個具有強烈地域文化色彩的品牌邁向全球這一問題發(fā)表了許多真知灼見。盡管其中的許多教益令人受益匪淺，耳目一新（達爾維格建議讓盡可能多的人向你匯報，這樣就沒有時間從事微觀管理，也沒空躊躇不定了），但我想了解更多他自己在公司的故事。然而，這本書的撰寫風格極富宜家家居自身的特色：實用，不花哨。

????在宜家的營運方面，達爾維格列舉了一些耐人尋味的例子。比如，宜家餐廳的營業(yè)收入高達15億美元。但15個瑞典肉丸僅定價3.99美元的主要原因并非賺取利潤，而是為了凸顯宜家的低價特色，延長顧客的購買時間?；蛘呦胂笠幌?008年的情景。當時，宜家家居擁有12.5萬名員工，并創(chuàng)下290億美元的銷售額，但其人力資源、法律和財產(chǎn)等職能部門的全球雇員僅260人。類似這樣的小片段讓我欲罷不能。

????讀完本書之后，我有一個明顯的感受，那就是只有在瑞典這樣的斯堪的納維亞國家，才有可能出現(xiàn)宜家這樣的公司。達爾維格——他在宜家工作了26年，最初的職務是一家商場的經(jīng)理——警告稱，他反對設定高工資，因為這樣做將招來一些只看重金錢的員工。他發(fā)表了許多類似“一家公司存在的理由應該是為改善社會盡一份力”這樣的聲明。很難想象這些話會出自美國的大多數(shù)CEO之口。但如果他們有興致讀一讀這本書的話，這話倒像是說給他們聽的。

????譯者：任文科

????Dahlvig explains how Ikea keeps its costs low by buying in bulk and controlling the entire supply chain, not unlike Costco (COST) or Trader Joe's. The company also uses you, the customer, to help with distribution by delegating tasks like assembling and transporting purchases. Dahlvig claims consumers actually feel like they're getting a better experience when they're doing more themselves. (This point may be debatable for anyone who's ever wandered around an Ikea warehouse looking for the likes of a Grevb?ck bookcase or Folldal bedframe.)

????But Dahlvig argues that customers are compensated for their troubles: The bigger the role you take on in the supply chain, he points out, the lower the price tag. If you don't want to spend your Saturday afternoon poring over an Ikea instruction manual, you don't have to; you can select to have your furniture delivered and buy items that don't require much assembly. But you have to be willing to pay more as a result.

????If you're looking for the Ikea story or a deep Ikea timeline, this book is not for you. Dahlvig gives fair warning right from the start that this is not his goal; rather, he's using his long-time employer as an example of how a big corporation can do the right thing.

????Dahlvig does give a brief history of Ikea's evolution into the privately held retail giant that generated $31 billion in 2009. But more often than not, the book is about management -- motivating and inspiring employees, keeping an entrepreneurial streak as a company grows, creating loyalty and diversity, the role of a CEO. The book is rich in ideas about how to take a brand that has a strong regional culture and make it global. While some of these lessons are helpful and refreshing (Dahlvig suggests having numerous people report to you so you don't have time to micromanage or hover), I wanted more of a personal story about his time at the company. Instead the book is written in the style of Ikea itself: practical and no-frills.

????Dahlvig does provide some telling examples about Ikea's operations. Take, for example, that its restaurants generate $1.5 billion in sales. But the main reason behind those 15 Swedish meatballs for $3.99 is not to make a profit -- it's to highlight the store's low prices and get the customer to shop longer. Or consider that in 2008, when Ikea had 125,000 employees and $29 billion in sales, its global staff functions like HR, legal, and property only had 260 members. Little snippets like these only made me want more.

????By the end of the book it's clear that a company like Ikea could only have come out of a Scandinavian country like Sweden. Dahlvig, who spent 26 years at Ikea and started as a store manager, warns against things like setting high salaries because you'll attract people who are only in it for the money. He makes statements such as a "company's reason for existence should be to contribute to a better society." It's hard to imagine these words coming out of the mouths of most U.S. CEOs. But it might serve them well if they at least read the book.