Intrapreneurship Doc

Intrapreneurship

The term seems to have been coined by a team of Swedish consultants of the ‘Foresight’ group. The management consultancy firm was set up in 1975 to develop the entrepreneurial potential of employees of large firms. In 1979, they created the “School of Intrapreneurs” which was designed to provide courses in the creation of a favourable climate for innovation and intrapreneurship (Langlois J.P, 1988).

Definitions

Carrier.C, 2001 defines intrapreneurship as “the implementation of an innovation by an employee, a group of employees or any individual working under the control of the firm”.

For Pinchot.G, 1985, intrapreneurship is an organisational structure enabling employees, i.e. internal entrepreneurs, to express their creative potential, by giving them the freedom, the scope and the necessary resources to do so. Such employees then achieve double objectives of being able to satisfy their own personal aspirations and the needs of the organisation.

Also termed corporate entrepreneurship, whereby “these individuals often work independently, or with some degree of autonomy, and although they are given the latitude to explore new ideas, there is no presumption of business ownership apart from the mother organisation ”, Holt.D, 2001

Implicitly, corporate entrepreneurs have no direct investment and bear no financial risk so that they consequently seldom reap rewards beyond bonuses and promotions.

However this does not exclude that nowadays, firms may propose opportunities for partnerships or else entrepreneurial employees can also find themselves to be at odds with the organisations and leave to implement their ideas.

Entrepreneurship v/s Intrapreneurship

Differences between Entrepreneurship & Intrapreneurship

Works for him/herself Works for an organisation

Interacts with the environment Adapts to the environment

Can impose views Should convince

Risks his/her capital Risks credibility

Decides his/her remuneration Salary may be...