Working together to address complex challenges

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship has created a Social Lab methodology and toolkit specifically designed to enable corporate employees and social entrepreneurs to better understand complex challenges and find ways to tackle them together.

Global crises such as the climate emergency, health pandemics, wars, and inflation are affecting people across the world. At IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, we believe that businesses have a responsibility to address these challenges. By working together, corporations and social enterprises can find better ways to increase their positive impact.

We invite you to explore our Social Lab methodology and toolkit — designed in collaboration with Namahn — which serves as a guide to build a deeper, mutual understanding of the challenge you wish to address and create opportunities for change together.

Social Labs Toolkit

Explore the Social lab methodology and toolkit, which serves as a guide to address challenges holistically and collaboratively.

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Social Labs

Design a Social Lab

Learn more about how to use the 22 tools in the toolkit to design a Social Lab that best fits the challenge you’re looking to tackle.

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Social Labs

Host a Social Lab

Read more about creating positive change in your community or organisation by hosting a Social Lab with our comprehensive guides.

A fit-for-purpose approach

The Social Lab methodology and toolkit use a systemic design approach.

With the rise of wealth inequality, climate change, emerging technologies and globalised economies, the challenges we’re facing are becoming increasingly complex and interconnected.

Systemic design is a way of thinking and acting that considers how everything is connected. This enables us to develop sustainable, resilient, and effective interventions while avoiding potential unintended consequences.

Combining understanding and action

Systemic design combines two approaches, merging theoretical principles of systems thinking with practical models of design thinking.

Systems thinking is about analysing how the different parts of a system connect and interact with each other. Design thinking is about placing humans at the centre while developing solutions in an iterative way.

By combining design and systems thinking, systemic design focuses on understanding the system and co-designing interventions with those who can enable change.

image showing the participants of the Pilot Social lab held in Berlin

When to use systemic design instead of other design approaches

Systemic design can be used in various contexts, but it’s particularly well-suited for addressing complex, multi-dimensional challenges that can’t be solved through a single, isolated solution.

If you have a challenge involving multiple factors (like economic, ecological, psychological, political, or technical), stakeholders, and interests and perspectives, then using a systemic design approach might be helpful.

Here are some examples of when to use systemic design:

Systemic design can be used to address environmental challenges such as climate change, pollution, and natural resource management. These issues involve multiple factors, such as human behaviour, technology, and economic systems.

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Systemic design can address organisational challenges such as improving collaboration, developing sustainable practices, and increasing impact. These issues involve multiple parties, such as the departments or systems within an organisation, clients, and partner organisations.

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Systemic design can be used to address social challenges such as poverty, inequality, and social exclusion. These issues involve multiple factors, such as culture, politics, economics, and education, which all interact in complex ways.

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In general, systemic design applies whenever a problem isn’t fully understood or resolved through a single perspective or expertise. It involves bringing together diverse expertise and knowledge to develop effective, sustainable, and adaptable interventions over time.

Case Study: Enabling a Better Everyday Life for Low-Income Groups in Germany through a Social Lab

IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with Namahn, has developed a Social Lab methodology and toolkit designed to enable corporate employees and social entrepreneurs to better understand complex challenges and find ways to tackle them together.