Intrapreneurship – entrepreneurship in the company

Intrapreneurship – It’s not just about seeing the connections and opportunities, it is also the act of weaving possibilities together to create something new and exciting. – Dylan Sherlock

Innovations that have been effectively implemented and successfully established on the market increase competitiveness and potential sales in companies. They are the be-all and end-all for the survival of organizations in a constantly changing market environment. Anyone who wants to be successful in the long term needs the will to innovate and the necessary framework conditions for a successful innovation culture. Without innovation there is no return and without change there is no innovation.

Innovations often do not arise by chance, but are the result of creativity, specialist knowledge and user-orientation of highly motivated employees who think and act entrepreneurially. They are characterized by the fact that they show initiative and work with dedication, as if they were independent entrepreneurs. But the organization itself must also do its part and create suitable framework conditions to promote intrapreneurs.

Open corporate culture promotes intrapreneurship

To successfully implement intrapreneurship, companies have to value the ideas of their employees and even tolerate mistakes. Important findings can often be gained from mistakes. There should be an open, innovative corporate culture, enough freedom and resources to be available to generate innovations from the center of the organization. Companies must create incentives for intrapreneurs, hand over project responsibility to them, encourage their commitment and regularly demand results.

The Art of Intrapreneurship – The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them. – George Bernard Shaw

Intrapreneurs are often more satisfied than other employees, because contributing their own ideas, assuming responsibility and thus being able to make a significant contribution to the success of the company promotes motivation and the willingness to commit. In times of a shortage of skilled workers, intrapreneurship is increasingly becoming an instrument of employee loyalty in order to bind talented employees to one’s own company.

However, you cannot train just any employee to become an intrapreneur. Not everyone is looking for ideas and not everyone has an entrepreneurial gene in them. Many traits that characterize an intrapreneur can be learned, but a certain basic disposition must be present. Intrapreneurs identify trends and their chances of success, manage risks in the implementation of innovations and take responsibility for them.

Gifford’s 10 Commandments for Intrapreneurs

The term intrapreneur was coined and described by the American entrepreneur Gifford Pinchot. He has summarized his central theses in ten commandments. These describe recommendations for action and the necessary mindset of intrapreneurs:

1. Come to work every day ready to be fired.
2. Avoid any ordinances that can stop your dream.
3. Do whatever it takes to achieve your goal – regardless of what your actual job description looks like.
4. Find people to help you.
5. Follow your intuition when choosing employees and only work with the best.
6. Work underground as long as you can – too early publicity could awaken the company’s immune system.
7. Never bet in a race if you are not running in it yourself.
8. Asking forgiveness is easier than asking permission.
9. Stay true to your goals, but be realistic about the possibility of achieving them.
10. Honor your sponsors.

Similar articles that are of interest to you…

• Innovation as the most important driver of competition in 2019
• Intrapreneurship – entrepreneurship in the company
• Employee motivation through innovation management