This is embarrassing to admit...

I have a set of IKEA dressers that I’ve dragged across state lines not once, not twice, but so many times I’ve lost count. From Minnesota to Boston. From Boston to Nashville. From Nashville back to Boston. And finally, from Boston all the way back to Minnesota. 🙄

The dressers cost $299 each. They’re still available at IKEA.
Moving them (even once) cost more than buying them new.

So why did I keep them?

Because I built them. Well, my dad helped. Okay, I helped. 🛠️

This is the IKEA effect: the tendency to overvalue what we create because of the effort we put in. And when paired with the endowment effect—our tendency to overvalue things simply because they’re ours—it explains why I just couldn’t leave those dressers behind.

But these biases aren’t just limited to furniture. They’re powerful change management tools for leaders who want to build stronger buy-in and deeper commitment within their teams.

Intrigued Reader?

You might be wondering why we hold onto things—even when it defies logic.

The Science Behind Sentiment

The IKEA effect is a psychological phenomenon where we place a higher value on things we’ve put effort into creating. Those dressers? Because I (sort of) built them, they feel like more than just furniture. They represent time, effort, and the satisfaction of assembly—making them seem more valuable than their $299 price tag.

This bias doesn’t just show up in our homes. It impacts how we approach our work, our projects, and even our ideas. When we invest time and energy into a project, we tend to value it more highly—even if an outside perspective might suggest it’s time to move on.

Why We Hold On—Even When It Doesn’t Make Sense

The endowment effect adds another layer to the story. This is our tendency to value things more simply because we own them. Studies show that we’re more likely to overvalue something once it’s “ours.” Think of it like emotional attachment in disguise.

My IKEA dressers? They became my IKEA dressers the moment I finally screwed in last björkenspänn. And because they were mine, I clung to them—despite knowing that moving them (again and again) wasn’t the most rational choice.

Turn the IKEA Effect Into Your Change Management Superpower

The IKEA effect isn’t just a trap to avoid—it’s a change management tool you can use to create stronger engagement and buy-in from your team. When people invest their own time, energy, and ideas into building something—whether it’s a new process, a strategic plan, or a team culture—they value it more.

Here’s why this works:

• Deeper Commitment: When team members help create a solution, they commit to it. It’s no longer “your” idea—it’s theirs. Just like my IKEA dressers, they’ll feel personally invested.
• A Stronger Sense of Ownership: Ownership drives motivation. When people feel a project belongs to them, they’ll go above and beyond to ensure its success.
• Fresh Perspectives: Inviting others into the process brings ideas you might not have considered—and makes the final plan stronger.

Get Your Team Building—and Buying In

Here’s how you can apply these ideas in your leadership:

• Co-Create Solutions: When tackling a challenge, invite team members to brainstorm or workshop solutions together. For example, if you’re setting the budget for an upcoming project or department, involve your team in prioritizing where resources should go. When people have a say in how the budget is allocated, they’re far more likely to stick to it. Plus, they’ll gain a better understanding of the constraints and trade-offs involved.
• Delegate Design: Instead of presenting a fully formed strategy, give your team a framework and let them shape the details. This could be as simple as asking, “How would you approach this?” or “What do you think would work best here?” Not only will this increase their engagement, but you might discover new approaches you hadn’t considered.
• Celebrate Contributions: Acknowledge the work that went into creating something as a team. Recognizing the effort reinforces the value of the project and deepens the attachment everyone feels. It’s the difference between assembling a dresser alone and building it with someone else—it’s about shared effort and shared pride.

The Bottom Line: From IKEA Dressers to Team Success

The effort we put into creating something makes us more likely to value it. By engaging your team in the building process, you can harness this tendency to create more commitment, ownership, and enthusiasm around shared goals. When you involve others, you’re not just getting their hands—you’re getting their hearts, too.

The next time you’re rolling out a big idea or tackling a challenge, don’t go it alone. Build it with your team. You’ll not only create stronger solutions—you’ll build a team that’s more engaged, invested, and ready to carry success forward, together.

Read on for more science behind the strategy and a simple experiment to put this in practice!

👉 Know someone who could benefit from learning how to build buy-in and ownership? Forward this email to them and help them earn and embrace their seat at the table!

Here's where theory meets practice. In this section, you'll find an experiment to help you apply the strategy we've discussed. Download the free Lab Notebook to outline your approach, record your observations, and reflect on your results.

Why We Value What We Build

The IKEA effect isn’t just something I made up to justify moving my dressers across state lines (again and again). It’s a real, well-documented phenomenon that explains why people become more committed to things they’ve had a hand in building.

In a 2012 study, researchers Michael I. Norton, Daniel Mochon, and Dan Ariely found that participants who assembled simple IKEA furniture, origami figures, or Lego models were willing to pay up to 63% more for their creations compared to identical, pre-assembled items (Norton, Mochon, & Ariely, 2012). It turns out that when we invest effort into something, we value it more—even when the results aren’t perfect.

This effect connects to another psychological phenomenon: the endowment effect. In their famous mug study, Richard Thaler and his colleagues found that participants who were given a mug demanded significantly more money to sell it than others were willing to pay to buy it—simply because it was now “theirs” (Kahneman, Knetsch, & Thaler, 1990). Ownership changes how we perceive value, making us overestimate the worth of what we possess.

That’s why I couldn’t part with my dressers. And it’s why your team will feel more invested in a plan they help create. When people feel a sense of ownership, they’re more likely to value, defend, and stick with what they’ve built.

Experiment with This

Want to see the IKEA effect and endowment effect in action? Try this simple experiment with your team to watch how getting them involved changes their commitment:

1. Pick a Small but Important Project​
Choose something visible where your team will quickly see the impact. It might be redesigning a workflow, improving meetings, or deciding how to allocate part of the budget.

2. Get Them Involved​
Don’t present a fully-formed plan—invite your team to help shape it. Ask for their ideas:

• “What would make our project handoffs smoother?”
• “How do you think we could make our meetings more effective?”

Let their input guide the outcome.

3. Watch the Difference​
As the project progresses, notice how their engagement shifts. Are they taking more initiative? Showing more ownership? Compare this to past projects where they weren’t involved in the decision-making.

4. Reflect Together​
After a few weeks, ask your team:

• “How did being part of this process feel?”
• “Did it change how you approached the work?”

Use what you learn to refine how you involve them next time.

By running this experiment, you’ll see firsthand how involving others in creating something increases their investment in its success. When we build together, we don’t just create solutions—we create connection, commitment, and results that everyone values.

👉 Download your Lab Notebook to design your experiment and track your results: ​Lab Notebook: Some Assembly Required​

Hi. I'm Angela.

Having a seat at the table isn't just a milestone—it’s a mindset.

As a behavioral scientist turned biotech exec turned executive coach, my mission is to ignite this mindset in leaders like you, so you can boldly create success on your own terms.

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