Fostering intrapreneurship to build a healthier world
A learning experience with real-life impact in the workplace
By Claire Davenport with contributing editor Romina Carrillo
Creating a healthier world feels like a larger hurdle than ever post-pandemic. From medication and supply chain shortages to overwhelmed medical systems, it’s become apparent that the traditional ways of delivering healthcare need to be updated to meet these new expectations and demands.
Since 2015, the Ashoka Changemakers course “Social Intrapreneurship for Innovation in Health” aims to foster this sort of innovation, building stronger health systems by teaching participants strategies for creating social and business impact in health spaces.
The six-week learning experience invites participants into a global community of health professionals from across the social innovation ecosystem to identify their strengths and opportunities for changemaking in their workplaces.
Through the modules, attendees develop their changemaking and intrapreneurship skills and get the opportunity to apply them in a practical, hands-on setting. They develop leadership skills, learn new strategies for navigating internal processes, and try out methods for co-creating and prototyping ideas.
To date, the course has enrolled over 3,000 participants in more than 80 countries and is part of Making More Health, a 12-year partnership between Ashoka and Boehringer Ingelheim that aims to create a healthier world for individuals, animals and communities through collaboration and innovation.
Through a recent survey completed by over 100 individuals who took the course in the past five years, we gained insight into the impact of these lessons and the skills that are necessary to build a healthier, more thriving world.
The spark — realizing you have the power to make a change
Intrapreneurship — a set of skills for advancing positive impact within existing institutions — can take many forms, from an employee connecting their business with a local nonprofit, to employees realizing their power to take action.
In the healthcare industry, social intrapreneurs play a vital role in driving change and improving outcomes for patients and communities. They have a unique ability to identify gaps in the healthcare system and develop creative solutions to address these issues.
A huge part of this drive to take action is realizing you have the power to do something, even when you face challenges in enacting it.
And although the formula for activating changemaking is not fixed, data shows that participating in learning opportunities is a great way to make change within institutions, develop connections, and build confidence.
Many participants who took the survey expressed that the course helped them realize intrapreneurship could be part of their identity — or was already part of it.
“It gave me the opportunity to reconnect with the outside world in a moment of great uncertainty, when the notion of closeness and sharing with other people was perceived as dangerous,” Miranda Rafael, supply chain assistant at Boehringer Ingelheim Argentina and 2020 course participant, shared. “[And] it helped me reconnect with what I’m most passionate about, which is social impact.”
Miranda, who is now working with Asociación Civil Granja Andar (Andar), a nonprofit founded by Ashoka Fellow Raúl Lucero to integrate those with disabilities into society, explained that she’d volunteered in her community previously, but that the course introduced her to new opportunities for making change that she hadn’t previously considered.
“I learned, among other things, about the difference between charity and long-term sustainable impact in our communities, and it encouraged me to think and dream big,” she said.
In 2022, Miranda joined Andar as a project leader in their sports pillar and Inclusive Football League (Liga de Fútbol Inclusiva), which supports over 1,000 players. She also leads Boehringer Ingelheim Argentina’s volunteer space. In this way, she is now helping others find their changemaking power. “We are all agents of change and have the possibility to create the future we want for our communities and future generations,” she said.
Launching and managing initiatives focusing on social and environmental impact, as well as sharing insights with coworkers and friends, are some of the ways other course participants reported using their newly acquired knowledge.
“I have used the learnings from the program to lead to a change in guidelines for the management of stroke patients in Kenya,” a 2020 participant shared.
Putting it into practice — navigating internal systems
The next step in the intrapreneurial process is working to realize your idea. For example, course participants and Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico employees Sergio Cisneros and Damian Hinojos experienced first-hand how challenging and rewarding this process could be when they decided to work with Javier Lozano, Ashoka Fellow, cofounder and CEO of Clínicas de Azúcar, a one-stop clinic to treat diabetes and its complications. The clinic provides specialized, low-cost medical care for diabetes patients from the middle and lower classes of Mexico, especially in rural and isolated communities.
As part of its portfolio, Clínicas de Azucar has a specific offering for companies who are willing to invest in the healthcare of its employees: access to free initial diagnosis and medical, nutritional, and mental health care with a focus on diabetes, hypertension, cholesterol and obesity, complemented with a comprehensive digital platform, which provides monthly health reports for patients. Sergio and Damian realized they could bring this approach home to Boehringer Ingelheim Mexico, offering to colleagues and their families this transformative healthcare service.
The first step was liaising within the company, getting various departments on board. “This was something that we really feel very proud of. Because it involved meetings, convincing people,” Sergio explained. “But I believe that a premise for undertaking something is that you never can give up.”
“The word ‘innovation’ sounds great, and many people have ideas, but the challenge lies in how to implement and follow through with them,” Damian added.
They also had to increase visibility about the program. This included creating a questionnaire for employees to fill out about their diabetic status and risk, running an awareness campaign, and countering stigma about the disease.
And for Sergio and Damian, the persistence paid off. Out of the 100 memberships available, they enrolled 99 people, with over 60 percent of participants showing progress in their condition. They are currently working to expand the project and offer it to more employees.
Keeping the momentum — collaboration is key
Many participants also reported that connecting and networking with like-minded people through the course was a great added benefit, and one with the potential to work with others to make change in their organizations.
“The tools and frameworks and case studies from the course were highly beneficial because I could introduce them to my business stakeholders,” said a 2020 course participant. “For example, I could utilize the social innovation pitch template and the social enterprise case studies from the course, for giving better ideas to the aspiring entrepreneurs that I mentor.”
“The foundation of any entrepreneurial project is how you establish these networks of collaboration, how you convey ideas, how you make people interested,” Sergio explained. “You gain more when you collaborate than when you try to do something on your own.”
The business case for impact
In sum, over half of the survey respondents reported starting a social impact initiative, and more than two thirds of the remainder said they intend to begin one in the near future.
The companies that employ them are seeing the value as well — course learners apply their newfound skills in the workplace and are better equipped as leaders, teambuilders, and problem solvers. They also motivate their peers, passing on these vital abilities and knowledge.
“If you’re in a company, wherever you are, you have to bring value; you don’t have to be just a contributor. You have to be someone who challenges the status quo,” Sergio added.
Want to learn more about the course or apply? Go here!
