Intrapreneurship: Innovation from the Inside Out

Mar 11

Intrapreneurship in the 20th Century

The word ‘intrapreneurship’ was officially added to The American Heritage Dictionary in 1992.
The dictionary defined it as follows:
“A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation.”

Gifford and his wife supported more than half of the Fortune 100 companies in developing new products and ventures. They advised organizations and educational institutions on the systems that can foster an entrepreneurial culture.

Intrapreneurship in the 21st Century

To this day, there is no universally agreed-upon definition of intrapreneurship, but the characteristics of an intrapreneur and an entrepreneurial company culture can certainly be described.
Here are some (non-exhaustive) examples:

Profile of an Intrapreneur:

They dare to take risks
They recognize opportunities
They work hard and are committed
They maintain a positive mindset
They prefer to collaborate with others
The innovations they generate create added value for the entire company

Profile of an Entrepreneurial Company:

Mutual trust
Core values are well-known and embraced by everyone
Transparent and open communication style
The company provides space for employees to generate and realize ideas
Attention is given to the individual
Strengths (and not just degrees or titles) of employees and owners are known throughout the organization

Conclusion

Intrapreneurship — or internal entrepreneurship — connects the talents of employees to the goals of the organization.
As an employee, it is important to possess self-awareness and to know your strengths.
Employees' talents can be developed once the company recognizes and creates opportunities for them to grow.

We would like to conclude with this beautiful quote:

Innovations never happen as planned. – Pinchot

nathalie sintobin