Thread by @blitzkreigm

I just learnt about the “Banana Rule” at IKEA and it blew my mind! 🍌

This is their secret sauce for letting people fail, explore & build ideas.

Once you learn it too, you’d want it in every organization.

Here’s a thread. You’ll enjoy it!

@CNBCTV18Live #FMCGisLife @IKEA

1/n

The rule is simple: if you believe in an idea, and want to try it, even if it sounds nuts, you can play your Banana Card. 🍌

It’s like saying:
👉 “This might flop, but I want to try.”

No approvals. No punishment. Just trust. The organization will work towards your idea!

2/n

There are levels.

🍌 Every co-worker can play unlimited Banana Cards with their boss for everyday ideas.

🥇 The big, high-powered bets? Those need a Golden Banana - signed off by the exec leadership.

3/n

Why a banana?

Because it’s silly, fun, and takes the fear out of failure.

But behind the silliness is a very serious business advantage: psychological safety = innovation.

4/n

The results? Legendary.

📦 Flat-pack furniture - born when an IKEA worker unscrewed a table’s legs to fit it in his car.

🍴 IKEA’s food business - a €2.8 billion arm today, started as an in-store experiment.

Both “banana” moments that changed the company.

5/n

Some more 🍌 examples

🇦🇺 Eat your discount → spend $20 on meatballs, get $20 off furniture. Footfalls surged.

🇨🇦 Auto-sized boxes → cut 18% cardboard, 55% better truck fill.

🇫🇷 Banana Action contest → 50+ wild ideas, one winner got €10,000 to scale.

6/n

Then there are some really crazy bananas.

👕 IKEA made Meatball Pyjamas & set a Guinness Record for the largest gathering in matching PJs.

😴 The IKEA Sleep Report turned a boring bedtime topic into a global marketing win.

This is failure-friendly culture at play.

7/n

What struck me in Älmhult is this:

Banana Cards aren’t just for furniture. They shape IKEA’s logistics, marketing, culture, even salaries & people policies.

Banana Cards = everyday trust.

Golden Bananas = bold bets.

Employees here know - fail small, win big.

8/n

So here’s my question from Älmhult:

How many great ideas are companies missing because their people are too scared to “go bananas”?

Would you want it in your company too?

9/9

@IKEA @CNBCTV18Live #FMCGisLife