Why the IKEA Effect Holds Back Innovation – and How to Break the Spell
You know that feeling? Hours crafting your website, writing copy, designing logos. The result feels precious because it's "yours." The IKEA Effect – our love for DIY creations – makes us proud of self-assembled shelves but can be fatal in business. This emotional attachment blinds us to better solutions and kills innovation. Ready to reality-check your "business furnitures beginnt alles mit einer Idee.
Ever spent hours building a website, fiddling with text, or tweaking a logo – only to feel oddly proud of the result? You’ve just experienced the IKEA effect: the tendency to overvalue something simply because you made it yourself.
What starts as justified pride in your own effort can become a serious obstacle in business. That lovingly built website? That half-decent logo you designed late at night? Emotionally, you’re attached. But strategically? They might be holding you back.
The term IKEA effect comes from a Harvard Business School study. Participants were asked to assemble a piece of IKEA furniture and then estimate its value. The result? People were willing to pay up to 63% more for something they built themselves than for the same pre-assembled item. Why? Because effort equals value – in our minds, at least.
And that’s the trap
This effect shows up everywhere in creative industries – design, branding, photography, communication. Especially in small businesses or studios where DIY is common and budgets are tight. It’s not about skill or commitment – it’s about perspective. Because emotional investment can blind us to better alternatives. In practice, the IKEA effect leads to:
Resistance to change: If you’ve built something yourself, you’re less likely to question it – even if it no longer fits.
Wasted time and energy: DIY can be exhausting. That energy could be used more effectively elsewhere.
Missed opportunities: Relying on friends or past solutions may feel safe, but it can cost you in professionalism and relevance.
Tunnel vision: Holding too tightly to your own work can stop you from seeing what expert input could bring.
You’ll find it in old websites that haven’t been updated in 15 years – because „the in-house illustrator designed it back then.” Or in copy written by a friend or cousin. Or in studios that rely on word-of-mouth alone – rejecting any form of marketing as if it were beneath them.
So how do you break free?
There are two ways: You either push yourself into new territory. Or you bring in help – saving time and keeping focus on your core strengths while others handle the rest. Often, it’s not about *either/or*, but *both*: DIY isn’t the enemy. With good guidance, it can be incredibly effective – especially now, with intuitive website builders and well-crafted templates. Sometimes, the smartest move is to mix self-made with expert input.
So here’s the question: Where have you seen the IKEA effect in action – in your work, your clients, or yourself?
And what would change, if you took a step back and looked at your “business furniture” with fresh eyes?
