From Bananas to Betting Chips: Lessons on Risk from IKEA, Netflix, and the Casino Floor

_{Using chips to measure decision making judgement. (Image: Mario Beauregard Beaustock/Alamy)}

If you’ve ever felt a twinge of dread after making a work mistake, you might appreciate IKEA’s quirky “Go Bananas” card. It’s literally a permission slip from the company’s CEO telling employees it’s OK to fail, a playful nod to the idea that innovation often starts with a few wrong turns.

On a recent episode of The Bottom Line (BBC), host Evan Davis explored how giving people freedom to fail can lead to success. The Swedish furniture giant’s “Go Bananas” card is co-signed by the CEO and encourages staff to take chances without fear of punishment.

 “If you make a mistake,” explained one guest, “you’ve already got a card signed off for it.”

The message: creativity beats conformity, and learning often costs a few chips.

Betting on Judgment, Not Perfection

The idea isn’t unique to IKEA. Over at Netflix, managers reportedly hand new hires a metaphorical “bag of betting chips.” They’re expected to place those casino chips, to make bold choices and take calculated risks.

By year’s end, Netflix leaders look back at those bets. If every decision succeeded, it means the employee didn’t gamble enough. If none worked, their judgment’s off. The goal is to hit that sweet spot between caution and chaos, much like a skilled blackjack player knowing when to double down.

Lessons from the Casino Floor

As anyone in the casino industry knows, risk is part of the game. Success comes not from avoiding loss but from knowing which bets to make. It’s a mindset that Alan Riley, formerly of Chiltern Railways, also embraced. When new staff joined, he’d personally tell them they had permission to make customer-focused decisions, even if they weren’t perfect.

That trust, he said, created a culture where employees weren’t “robots following a script” but people empowered to improve the customer experience. The same principle applies whether you’re running trains, streaming shows, or managing a casino floor: the safest bet might just be trusting your people to take smart risks.