Intrapreneurship is a dynamic approach that enables employees to think and act like entrepreneurs within a company. By fostering an entrepreneurial mindset, organizations can encourage their teams to develop innovative projects, solve problems creatively, and drive growth from within! This guide explores how leveraging intrapreneurship can stimulate innovation and help your business maintain a competitive edge in today’s dynamic market.
What exactly is intrapreneurship?
Intrapreneurship shares similarities with entrepreneurship, but with one key distinction: it all takes place within the company. The concept emerged in the 1980s, notably through an article by Gifford Pinchot, who emphasized that employees often generate brilliant ideas that remain unexplored due to insufficient support.
The aim of intrapreneurship is to enable employees to behave like entrepreneurs, take the initiative and develop innovative projects, while benefiting from the resources and support of their organization. It also encourages co-creation, a collaborative process where teams can develop innovative solutions together, by sharing their ideas and skills.
For the company, intrapreneurship represents a powerful lever for remaining competitive, as it :
- Remains at the cutting edge of innovation without having to look outside for ideas;
- Attracting and retaining talent, by showing that it values creativity and initiative;
- Transforms ideas into concrete projects capable of generating value and improving performance.
For employees, intrapreneurship is a unique opportunity to think outside the box, as they :
- Bring their most ambitious ideas to life;
- Gain autonomy and recognition, by becoming key players in change;
- Develop new skills, which are essential for their professional development.
The secrets of a successful intrapreneur
Becoming an intrapreneur is not just for the elite or those with specific skills or training. Above all, it’s a state of mind, a desire to make things happen and turn ideas into reality.
The ideal profile: what if it were you?
An intrapreneur is above all someone who dares. They demonstrate creativity by imagining new solutions where others see obstacles. Their spirit of initiative drives them to act, to experiment and to propose ideas without waiting for directives.
But having good ideas is not enough. Intrapreneurs must also be skilled at sharing their ideas and persuading others. Communication plays a central role: a successful intrapreneur knows how to present their project effectively and inspire colleagues and superiors to embrace their vision. While these abilities are invaluable, they are not innate. With time, practice, and experience, they can be cultivated and honed!
The right framework, the key to success
Even with the best qualities, an intrapreneur needs a supportive environment to thrive. Corporate culture plays a crucial role in this regard. When an organization values innovation and embraces a certain level of risk, it creates the perfect conditions for bold initiatives to take shape and succeed.
The support of leaders and managers is just as crucial. Intrapreneurs, however motivated, cannot succeed alone. They need resources, time and above all the confidence of their superiors to bring their projects to life. Finally, the right tools and dedicated spaces, such as innovation labs or collaborative workshops, create fertile ground for turning ideas into reality.
A favourable environment can also include an intrapreneurship management software, a powerful tool for centralizing ideas, connecting teams and monitoring the progress of projects.
How do you launch an intrapreneurship program in your company?
Steps for taking action
The first step is to define clear objectives. What do you want from this program? Are you looking to solve specific problems or to stimulate disruptive innovation? These objectives will guide the whole strategy.
Next, identify the resources required, whether financial, human or material. A dedicated team or person in charge of the program is essential to ensure that it runs smoothly.
Our advice: don’t hesitate to encourage your team to explore practices inspired by open innovation to enrich the process! |
Once the foundations have been laid, it’s important to communicate the program internally. Explain clearly to teams what intrapreneurship is and how they can get involved. This will generate support and encourage commitment.
Tools to bring ideas to life
To transform ideas into concrete projects, it is essential to use the right tools. Methods such as design thinking or lean startup can be invaluable allies in rapidly structuring, testing and refining ideas.
Collaborative formats such as creative workshops, bootcamps or hackathons can stimulate innovation within teams and speed up the process of developing ideas.
Don’t forget to offer training in project management, communication or creativity. This will help your intrapreneurs to structure their projects better and overcome any obstacles that arise.
Anticipate and manage risks
Intrapreneurship inherently comes with a level of uncertainty, making it crucial to anticipate and manage risks effectively. Begin by evaluating the potential impact of intrapreneurial projects on the company to prioritize those that are most promising or aligned with strategic goals.
Effective risk management involves creating a secure environment for experimentation. Encouraging a culture where failure is viewed not as a setback, but as an opportunity to learn and refine projects, is key to fostering innovation and continuous improvement.
Take inspiration from stories that work!
Many companies have made the intrapreneurship program a real driver of innovation.
Take Google, for example, which allows its employees to devote 20% of their working time to personal projects. This initiative has given rise to flagship products such as Gmail and Google News. These successes highlight the value of granting employees the freedom to explore new ideas without unnecessary constraints.
A standout example is 3M, a trailblazer in innovation. Its intrapreneurship program gave rise to iconic products like the Post-it note. What makes this achievement particularly inspiring is that the Post-it began as a side project, emerging from the unexpected failure of an earlier innovation!
A few tips for shining as an intrapreneur
Becoming a successful intrapreneur doesn’t happen overnight. It takes passion, perseverance and a good dose of strategy. Here are a few key tips to maximize your chances of success in this challenging role:
- Refine your ideas: before you share them, make sure your proposals are solid. Look for concrete data and examples to support your ideas. The better prepared your project is, the more likely it is to be taken seriously;
- Be clear and persuasive: when presenting your idea, be specific about what you are proposing and how it will benefit the business. Speak in a way that is appropriate to your audience, whether it’s a manager, a colleague or a group;
- Create an inspiring vision: in addition to the facts, don’t hesitate to share the long-term vision of your project. Successful intrapreneurs often know how to motivate those around them by showing them the exciting prospects of the initiative.
Our final piece of advice is this: keep in mind that creativity should not be limited to the initial idea. As an intrapreneur, it’s essential to keep looking for new ways to develop and improve your project. Don’t stop at the first ideas that come to you; dare to explore unconventional solutions!
Find out more about intrapreneurship…
- “Cultivation of Intrapreneurship: A Framework and Challenges.” Frontiers in Psychology, 2021.
- “The intrapreneurial employee: toward an integrated model of intrapreneurship and research agenda.” International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 2018.
- “An individual-level perspective on intrapreneurship: a review and ways forward.” Review of Managerial Science, 2019.
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