It struck me the other day when I was walking through a large IKEA store in Glasgow. These guys have got it absolutely right. Most people see IKEA furniture as simple, cheap and easy to put together. But this concept runs deeper in to the organisation. Take a look at how the store is laid out. Look at how their artwork is priced (the price tag on the end of a piece of string stuck to the frame!). Look at their biggest seller in the cafe – meatballs, potatoes and sauce. Simple, simple, simple. And IKEA is seen as one of the most innovative organisations in the world – and one of the most profitable. Their business model has structure and boundaries like any other business. However, it is this structure that give it its biggest advantage. The first part of an IKEA designer’s brief is the retail price of the item. This is to make sure the customer will be able to buy the finished article. The designer has to be creative within that cost base – something that most people find restrictive. However, structure is the basis of all creativity – look at any Lateral Thinking technique and you will see a structure to be creative within.]]>