Intrapreneurship Defined
In·tra·pre·neur·ship (n) 1.Successful adaptation of entrepreneurial attitudes and strategies inside of a bureaucratic organization. 2. Implementation of start-up practices within a large organization, producing valued innovation.
Intraprenerurship can be a powerful way for workers of any generation to advance their careers while improving their organizations. It is especially helpful for low-level employees and middle managers wanting to overcome the obstacles associated with getting consensus and support for innovative new ideas in the work place. However, before we jump onto the intrapreneurship bandwagon we need to clarify what it really means. This is the first step to empowering a new cadre of innovators within institutions.
The word “intrapreneurship” sounds like a new term , but it in fact has some history to it. The term was first discussed in a 1978 piece by Gifford and Elizabeth Pinchot titled “Intra-Corporate Entrepreneurship (Some Thoughts Stirred Up by Attending Robert Schwartz’s School for Entrepreneurs)”. Norman Macrae’s 1982 Economist article We’re all Intrapreneurial Now further explores intrapreneurship and gives naming credit to the Pinchots. However, the word seems to have gone into relative hibernation until the dot.com bubble burst and Silicon Valley innovators started to look beyond the newest internet start-up for growth in the technology sector.
For the modern understanding of intrapreneruship, we can look at one of its most vocal proponents, author, motivational speaker and venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki. Kawasaki was an early employee at Apple and a “chief evangelist” at the company for years. It was likely during that time he realized the power of applying the start-up mentality within an established organization. In 2004, he authored the book Art of the Start and throughout makes direct references to intrapreneurs. In recent months Kawasaki has stepped up his promotions for intrapreneurship, as highlighted in this July 2013 blog post on LinkedIn.
There are lots of guys and gals inside established companies who are as innovative and revolutionary as their bootstrapping, soy-sauce-and-rice-subsisting, external entrepreneur counterparts. This is for these brave souls who face a different kind of reality and must practice the art of entrepreneurship inside a company—or “intrapreneurship.”
From the outside looking in, entrepreneurs think intrapreneurs have it made: ample capital, infrastructure (desks, chairs, Internet access, assistants, lines of credit, etc), salespeople, support people, and an umbrella brand. Guess again. Intrapreneurs don’t have it better; they simply have it different. Indeed, the reality is that they probably have it worse because they are fighting against ingrained, inbred, and inept management.
Kawasaki gives us a clear path to understanding what intrapreneurship really is; difficult, challenging, and nuanced. The definition provided in this the article can be a starting point in a discussion on how intrapreneruship empowers workers and ignites growth and innovation within institutions. Nurturing intrapreneurship just may be the key to powering our global economy forward.
Join other international professionals looking to learn about and discuss intrapreneurship in TC108a - Introduction to Intrapreneurship: Innovating Within an Institution a TechChange .org online professional development course facilitated by a UNICEF intrapreneur. The next course begins October 22nd.
