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cover of episode Imagining Furniture (and the Future) With AI: IKEA Retail’s Barbara Martin Coppola

Imagining Furniture (and the Future) With AI: IKEA Retail’s Barbara Martin Coppola

2022/2/8
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Barbara Martin Coppola: 我是宜家零售商的首席数字官，负责公司的整体数字发展业务和数字化转型。我的角色是领导公司走向现代化、数字化和不同的商业模式。我在谷歌的经历教会我如何利用敏捷性、迭代和项目衡量结果来实现高绩效。在三星的经历让我了解到集体的力量，以及如何在达成共识后高效执行。如今，我将这些经验应用于宜家，适应不同的文化规范，并尝试将其他地方的成功经验应用于公司，造福员工，实现共同目标。 人工智能是宜家数字化发展战略的核心，数据是公司最重要的资产，人工智能应用于零售价值链的各个环节。我们专注于创造人工智能以实现不同的价值或成果。此外，公司渴望创造令人惊叹的产品，了解人工智能如果得到正确运用可以像魔杖一样神奇，以及公司相信这是公司成功和竞争力的关键因素，这些都至关重要。 我们利用视觉AI技术，开发了一款移动应用，让用户可以通过扫描房间并移动虚拟家具来规划家居布置。这将彻底改变人们在没有专业设计师的情况下布置空间的焦虑感。 人工智能的应用潜力无限，关键在于确定改进的目标领域，并促进不同部门（尤其是数字部门和数据科学家）之间的协作。例如，宜家从大型门店转向多元化门店和多种数字触点，这带来了巨大的复杂性。人工智能是解决这一复杂问题的关键，它可以用于需求预测、商品尺寸、商品可用性、价格等多个变量的管理。通过人工智能，我们优化了商品流通，降低了成本，避免了新建15个客户配送中心的需求，这不仅具有经济效益，而且对环境保护也有益。 人们对人工智能的一个常见误解是它会取代人类工作，而实际上人工智能是辅助人类工作的，服务于人类和商业。当人们开始真正理解人工智能是增强而非取代他们，并且服务于人类和商业时，他们就会开始需求它。这需要跨职能团队的合作，走出舒适区，并对积极的结果感到满意。最终，这是一个以人为本的过程。 在数字化转型过程中，保持公司的使命和价值观不变至关重要，这为适应新的挑战提供了力量。适应快速变化需要新的领导力，领导者需要能够倾听、学习，并带领团队共同取得成就。通过亲身体验人工智能的应用，员工能够消除对人工智能的恐惧，并认识到其带来的益处。口碑传播、领导层的支持和公司文化的转变都至关重要。 我们采用“测试、迭代、尝试、失败、重新开始”的理念，通过小规模项目降低风险，从而推动创新。我们利用危机作为加速器，推动数字化转型和业务创新。可持续性是宜家的核心关注点，公司正在向循环商业模式转型，包括家具和材料的重复利用。我们为一线员工提供更高效的工作工具，例如利用视觉AI技术自动计算餐费，从而解放员工，让他们有更多时间与顾客互动。技术和人工智能应该服务于人类，增强人类能力，并让人类专注于更有价值的工作。 Sam Ransbotham: (对谈话内容的总结和补充) Shervin Khodabandeh: (对谈话内容的总结和补充)

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Barbara discusses how her experience in various industries and roles has prepared her for leading IKEA's digital transformation, emphasizing the importance of agility, collective power, and cultural adaptation.

Shownotes Transcript

Drawing on previous experience working in nine countries for organizations like Google and Samsung, Barbara Martin Coppola joined IKEA Retail as its chief digital officer to oversee the furniture retailer’s digital transformation, improve its customer experience, and foster the company’s ongoing commitment to sustainability.

In this episode, hosts Sam and Shervin speak with Barbara about how she empowers cross-functional collaboration and “testing, and iterating, and trying, failing, and starting again” to realize successful technology projects. She also shares the context behind some recent customer-facing AI tools the company has launched to assist customers through the buying process and free up front-line workers to focus on customer engagement instead of operational tasks.

Read the episode transcript here).

*Me, Myself, and AI *is a collaborative podcast from MIT Sloan Management Review and Boston Consulting Group and is hosted by Sam Ransbotham and Shervin Khodabandeh. Our engineer is David Lishansky, and the coordinating producers are Allison Ryder and Sophie Rüdinger.

Stay in touch with us by joining our LinkedIn group, AI for Leaders at mitsmr.com/AIforLeaders.)

Guest bio:

Barbara Martin Coppola is the chief digital officer for Ingka Group (IKEA), the world’s largest home furnishings retailer.

Martin Coppola started her career with IKEA in 2018 and has overall responsibility for leading the company’s digital technology capabilities and transformation. She has over 20 years of experience in the technology sector and has lived and worked in more than nine countries. Before joining IKEA, she held leading positions in several global businesses, including Google, YouTube, Samsung, and Texas Instruments.

Martin Coppola holds a master of science degree in telecommunications engineering from Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, a master of science in mobile communications from Télécom Paris, and an MBA in business administration and management from INSEAD. She is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

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