"Our people just weren't engaging with the training we were running for them." That's how Mahmood Mirza, Regional HR Manager at IKEA (Al-Sulaiman Group), describes where his team stood before partnering with Lumofy.
The problem wasn't a lack of training. IKEA already had programs in place. The real issue was more basic: Mahmood knew exactly where he wanted his team to end up. He just didn't have a way to get them there. Every employee had different needs, and nothing connected the right training to the right person.
That guesswork ended when IKEA, together with Lumofy, rolled out an AI-powered competency framework. It pinpointed exactly what each role required, where each employee currently stood, and where they needed to go next. It also opened up direct access to a global training library, on mobile or desktop, without pulling anyone off the job to get there.
The Challenge
The challenge wasn't confined to one level of the business. Mahmood frames it as a broader shift: a new generation entering the workforce with different expectations and different ways of learning, against the constantly accelerating pace of change in the market, leaving traditional training methods increasingly out of step.
That strategic challenge showed up just as clearly in day-to-day operations. Dana, who leads talent acquisition and L&D, struggled to get a clear read on trainee progress and completion rates: there was no single view of who had finished what, or how far along anyone was. On the shop floor, Jasim, the Sales Team Leader at IKEA, faced a problem that was simpler in nature but more urgent: how do you carve out time for training without pulling someone off their shift?
Three different challenges converge on one core problem: the tools were already there. What was missing was a single system to tie them together.
Why IKEA Chose Lumofy
IKEA's choice of Lumofy wasn't incidental. It was a direct response to this multi-layered challenge. What first caught Mahmood's attention was access to a global training library spanning multiple providers, available on mobile or laptop, putting learning in employees' hands wherever they were, not locked to a training room or a fixed schedule.
But variety mattered even more than access. IKEA was no longer limited to one training format. Between short-form video, interactive quizzes, and hands-on assignments, the team could draw on multiple learning styles through a single platform, something Mahmood says changed how people engaged with training altogether. That variety wasn't just a talking point; it played out on the ground. In sales, one employee built out their approach to handling demanding customers through specific courses. In logistics, a completely different function, another employee leaned on supply-chain-specific content. One platform, meeting entirely different needs.
The deciding factor, according to Mahmood, was the AI-powered competency framework builder: the same tool that turns a competency framework from a static document into a living system that knows precisely what every role requires.
How IKEA Implemented It
IKEA didn't build its framework from scratch. Lumofy's AI agent generated the first version based on the company's existing data. That draft was never meant to be final; it became the team's starting point.
From there, review responsibility passed to IKEA's own team. Each department manager checked the technical competencies specific to their function for accuracy and fit against how work actually happens on the ground. Through that back-and-forth between IKEA and Lumofy, the framework went through rounds of validation and refinement before it was finalized and published on the platform.
IKEA's team is quick to note that Lumofy's involvement didn't stop at the technical build. The team was there for the awareness sessions IKEA ran for employees and super users, too. Any new rollout, as Mahmood puts it, needs enough awareness behind it to stick as a daily habit. And when technical issues came up, the response was fast.
The Results
The results showed up quickly, and each one mapped directly back to the challenge that produced it.
For Dana, reporting went from a murky process to a single dashboard showing individual progress, plus a leaderboard highlighting the most engaged learners. The payoff wasn't just time saved on tracking. It freed up her HR team to focus on strategic work instead of manually pulling data together.
For Jasim, the shift was simpler and more immediate: employees could now train on their phone or a computer mid-shift, without leaving the floor or disrupting the sales environment.
At the level of the framework itself, Mahmood describes the deeper shift in his own words:
"Before, we had employees who just weren't engaging with the training we were running. But once we built the competency framework, we noticed something: employees had a clearer path. They could see exactly how to move from where they were to an expert level, for example. We saw more engagement because there was now a clearer goal for them."
The difference between the two phases was never about the tools. Those were available from day one. It was about giving every employee real career pathing: a clear line from where they stood to where they were headed.
What's Next
IKEA's ambitions don't stop here. The company is preparing to roll out new features, including "Bites," short videos employees share on the platform.
Jasim is openly enthusiastic about it, expecting it to drive even higher engagement given how closely it resembles the Reels-style content employees already consume outside of work. He sees it as a strong opportunity to showcase everyday life at IKEA, told from employees' own perspective.
FAQ
Lumofy's AI agent analyzed the company's available data and produced an initial version of the framework within minutes. That version was never final; it served as a starting point that IKEA's team reviewed afterward.
Yes. Each IKEA department manager reviewed the technical competencies relevant to their team, and the framework went through rounds of evaluation and refinement before the final version was published on the platform.
