Always on top of my head and forcing me to think what I am? What made to originate to compete with each other? Is it worth even to think about or not? Am I an Intrapreneur or an Entrepreneur? Let me take you a couple of months back when I was in discussion with a couple of young entrepreneurs. I went to a young entrepreneur conference in Silicon Valley of India. While having a sip of coffee one of the entrepreneur told me so you are an "Intrapreneur". I was totally clueless to give an answer to that young person because I heard this word the first time and how can a person categorize himself/herself as an "Intrapreneur" or an "Entrepreneur". Even after months, I am still struggling to put myself into either of this category.

1. Intrapreneur Vs Entrepreneur? Always on top of my head and forcing me to think what I am? What
made to originate to compete with each other? Is it worth even to think about or not? Am I an
Intrapreneur or an Entrepreneur?
Let me take you a couple of monthsback whenIwas indiscussionwithacouple of youngentrepreneurs.
I wentto a youngentrepreneurconference inSilicon Valley of India. While having a sip of coffee one of
the entrepreneur told me so you are an "Intrapreneur". I was totally clueless to give an answer to that
youngpersonbecause Iheardthisword the firsttime andhow can a personcategorize himself/herselfas
an "Intrapreneur"oran "Entrepreneur".Evenaftermonths,Iamstill struggling to put myself into either
of this category.
I decidedto probe more on“Intrapreneur"and"Entrepreneur".I was in a puzzled state to start with and
not knowingthe endpoints for that. Whether I will be learning something out of that or just fiddling on
some word which those young guns floated.
I thoughtto discussindetail withmytwoFathers/ Mentors(A successful jobpersonality[Head of Global
BusinessinaMulti-millioncompany] andSuccessful Entrepreneur[Anownerof millionDollarCompany])
about “Intrapreneur” and how it is different than “Entrepreneur”. I was initially having a big trouble to
initiate this conversation with them as I may look like a dummy in front of them, however, I had only
chosen to get out of the riddle going in my head.
So, I decided to do my groundwork before having a conversation with them. I decide to break this
conversation into multiple parts.
a) What’s the major difference of an “Intrapreneur” & “Entrepreneur”?
b) Is it about personality traits?
c) What’s a mindset of an “Intrapreneur”?
d) FACET of Intrapreneur.
e) What Challenges do Intrapreneurs face?
f) How an organization recognizes an Intrapreneurs?
g) Is Intrapreneur a contemporary issue?
To my surprise, when I was digging more and discussing with my 2 mentors about this I started
understanding myself in a better way.
What’s the major difference of an “Intrapreneur” and “Entrepreneur”?
a. “Intrapreneur” & “Entrepreneur" are considered to be an Innovators. Both are having
the same responsibilities to unbound their thoughts and look for future innovations.
However, both need to work in their own boundaries.

2. b. An entrepreneurisanindividualwhoconceives the idea of starting a new venture, take
all typesof risks,not onlytoput the product or service into reality but also to make it an
extremely demanding one. On the other side, an Intrapreneur is nothing but an
entrepreneurwithinthe boundariesof the organization.An Intrapreneuris an employee
of an organization, who has the authority of initiating creativity and innovation in the
company’s products, services, and projects, redesigning the processes, workflows, and
system with the objective of transforming them into a successful venture of the
enterprise.
Is it about personality traits?
Adding more details on Personality Traits ( The Big Five Factors ) :
i. Openness: People are adventurous, imaginative, curious, open to new ideas,
and perceptive.Thiscategoryseparatespeople who are imaginative from those
who are more practical.
ii. Conscientiousness: Personalities which shows great self-
discipline and awareness of their responsibilities. This leads conscientious
people to be very organized, academically prepared, and successful.
Personality
Traits
Openness
Conscientiousness
ExtraversionAgreeableness
Neuroticism

3. iii. Extraversion: Person tends to experience enthusiasm, self-confidence, and
stimulation from other people's company. They're often full of energy and
actively seek attention from others
iv. Agreeableness: People show great compassion, cooperativeness,
and empathy for others. Agreeable people have an optimistic view of human
nature and believe people are generally honest and cooperative.
v. Neuroticism: They are prone to being anxious, depressed, or angry.
A bigquestion,where an Intrapreneurs or Entrepreneurs get fit in a Big 5 Factors. Since both are having
a multi-traitandaswe knowthathuman is the most confused person in this world, so I am at this state.
Read somewhere that whenever you are in dilemma then look around you. You will surely get your
answerfromyour surroundings,it worked for me too. I saw from the balcony that a small kid is taking a
help from one of his known elder for taking his football out from a manhole.
It memorized me about my Mentors (An outstanding accomplisher in his job [ An Intrapreneur ] & a
Visionary in Business [ Entrepreneur ] ).
Q1: Are you belong to Openness trait?
Intrapreneur Entrepreneur
As an Intrapreneur is having his own boundaries to for the
implementation.He/She can't be fully thoughtful in
his imagination.
Whereas, an Entrepreneur has the freedom to be an
adventure and try different things at the same time.
He/She is not having any imagination barrier. They
can thinkbeyondtheir limits and try to achieve what
they want.
An Intrapreneur is having a lot of approval barriers to
implement his/her idea.
An Entrepreneur doesn't require any kind of approval for
his/her Idea implementation.
Q2: Is Conscientiousness trait works for both?
Intrapreneur Entrepreneur
As an Intrapreneurare havinga greatsense of responsibility
as theyare aware that theyare notonlyresponsible
for their success/failure, they are also responsible
for their company's goodwill and team morale.
On contrary, an Entrepreneurs may not be well organized
initially. As they just need to focus on their product
initially and they wouldn't be able to follow the
discipline required to be in Conscientiousness trait.

4. They have to be very good at organizing themselves& best
in self-discipline.
A ConscientiousnessIntrapreneurcanbe a good Entrepreneur
whereas first time Entrepreneur may not able to fit
into this trait as they always need to do experiments
to achieve their goal.
Q3: What about Extraversion trait?
Intrapreneur Entrepreneur
A Person needs to be enthusiastic and look for the
feedbackfromtheirfellowsinsidehisorganization.
As an Intrapreneur person has to be dynamic and
always seek for the improvement.
A very important trait for an Entrepreneur, as they need to
manage a lot of things at a time, it can only happen if
they are self-disciplined, regularly interacting with the
people. So, they can always watch their competitors.
Theyneedtokeepthemselves energized so they can keep
their team motivated. They are responsible for
team motivation and maintain the energy in the
team.
Q4: Is Agreeableness trait suits for both?
Intrapreneur Entrepreneur
According to Art Markman, those who demonstrated the
agreeable traitwere less likely to be recommended
for the leadership role.
Individuals high on agreeableness are trusting, forgiving,
caring,and cooperative,while thoselowon this trait
are manipulative, self-centered, suspicious and
ruthless. It’s a jungle out there, and entrepreneurs
have to be tough to survive.
Why are disagreeable people perceived as more effective
leaders? Psychologist Art Markman, Ph.D., suggests
that employeesappreciate abosswhocan give frank
feedback — and agreeable people are known for
their difficulty providing criticism.

5. Q5: What is the effect of Neuroticism on both?
Intrapreneur Entrepreneur
Thistrait doesn’tsuit“Intrapreneur”,an Intrapreneur needs
to have self-confidencebecause theyare working on
their innovation with their existing job.
Entrepreneurshave to be veryself-confidentandresilient in
the face of stress. An “Entrepreneur” has to be LOW
in this trait as they need to be focused and always
keep themselves calm to achieve their goals.
What’s a mindset of an “Intrapreneur”?
As we have understoodthe difference betweenIntrapreneur&Entrepreneursandtheirdifferent
traits. Let’s learn about the mindset of an Intrapreneur.
The role of people in innovation and change, to reflect upon relevant aspects of their thinking
and doingand to offerinsightintothe ‘intrapreneurial mindset'.A numberof reasonslie behindplansfor
newideasorproducts not‘workingtoplan', one of which is a failure to have appreciated that some key
assumption – whether it was made explicitly or implicitly – should not have been made. For example,
initiatives to increase the number and quality of growth-oriented small businesses fail to produce the
projectedresultsif theydonotdiscriminatebetweenthe enterprising person (who, with some carefully
targetedsupport,iscapable of settingupa microbusinesswithlimitedgrowthpotential) and the person
with the potential to grow something of perceived value. A person with some knowledge of business
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Openness Conscientiousness Extraversion Agreeableness Neuroticism
POSITIONING “INTRAPRENEUR” & “ENTERPRENEUR” ON
PERSONALITY TRAIT
Entrepreur Intrapreneur

6. techniques necessarily a suitable person to advise these start-up businesses: effective entrepreneur
enablers relate to the people they work with because they possess a number of the entrepreneur
qualities themselves, and can ‘think inside the same box’.
We can also rename the “Intrapreneurs” to “Corporate Entrepreneurs”
In the world,where innovation and intrapreneurship are seen as important, there is a similar danger in
assuming that techniques based on logical and sequential steps can ‘always’ provide the definitive
answer. “Corporate Entrepreneurs” is ‘the process whereby an individual or a group of individuals, in
association with an existing organization, create a new organization or instigate renewal or innovation
within that organization’.
If companies are to compete in today’s global markets, as well as cope with uncertainty and change
pressures, they will need to take both innovation and intrapreneurship seriously.
Innovation and Intrapreneurship
Innovation and Intrapreneurship have a number of constituent elements:
➢ Ideas (spin-off points)
➢ Infrastructure (premises, incubators, suppliers, venture capital, corporateresourcesetc)
➢ Networks (support structures and effective enablers)
➢ Educated and capable people (to help with the growth of the initiative or business)
➢ Intrapreneurs themselves (Bolton and Thompson, 2013, op cit).
Ideascome to people ‘fromanywhere’atanytime:whenpeople are deliberately working on a problem
or issue, either on their own or in conversation; or anywhere. Although we can train ourselves to think
about problems in particular ways, we cannot control unconscious thought processes; and yet people
who read and network widely across a wide spectrum put themselves in a position to see and make
connectionsthatmore specializedpeoplewouldnotbe able to make – and thus ‘think differently’. They
have the potential to transpose ideas from one application area to another.

7. Ideas are a critical foundation for innovation – but they have to be acted on. Simply, viable innovation
needs both ideas and people.
Ideas don’t make money; products don’t make money; it is businesses that make money.
An organization needs to support good ideas and then think and Act on that Idea
In understandingthe linkbetweenideasandactions,how we see the worldis important. Some of us see
threats where others see opportunities; for some the cup is always half-empty for others it is half full.
Why? Intrapreneurs have two linked perceptions of the world. Firstly, they see it is a world full of
opportunities and secondly as a world of actions in which they can make things happen. It is as if
Intrapreneurs have two eyes seeing opportunities to grasp and actions to take. The brain links these
perceptions to give a single view of the world. If the opportunity side is not linked with focused action
theninthe worstcase we have a butterflythathopsfromone opportunity to another, never settling for
verylong.If the action side is not linked with the right opportunity then we have a beaver that builds a
perfect dam but in the wrong place. The link between these two perceptions, then, is important.
The link between these two perceptions, then, is important. The mature Intrapreneur moves from the
opportunity to act without difficulty, but for the potential Intrapreneur, the link may not be so
straightforward. The first sign of intrapreneurial talent is generally the ability to spot opportunities.
Many Intrapreneurs bring together ideas and thoughts from all over the place - this could appear to
happen somewhat randomly, but it could happen because they are people who are specifically
questioning why things are as they are. They are perpetually looking for improvement possibilities.
Hargadon (2003) contends that Henry Ford did just that with the assembly line for the Model T. He
blended inter-changeable parts (taken from the sewing machine industry) with continuous flow
Corporate
Entreprenuers
Enviornment
- Competitive
- Social
Strategic Leader
- Values / Belief
- Behaviours
Organisation Strategy
- Structure
- Process
- Procedure
Organisation
Performance
- Efficiency
- Stakeholders
Innovation
within
Organisation
Stratigic
Renewalof
Organisation

8. production techniques he had seen in soup canning and the assembly layout pioneered in
slaughterhouses.
It is, of course, interesting that when Intrapreneurs and others constantly question and challenge they
make othersfeel uncomfortable and sometimes threatened. They may not always be the most popular
people.
The FACET of the Intrapreneur
Bolton and Thompson (2003, 2013) have identified certain attributes that define the Intrapreneur. The
acronymis FACE- focus, advantage, creativity,ego,and team.They are natural and instinctive behaviors
that define theirstyle andapproach.The strengthof each attribute, and the relationship between them
allows us to understand a person's intrapreneurial potential
● FOCUS: Focus (time, target and action focus) works with our outer ego to make things happen.
Focus has three requirements:
o Action Focus: Person is minded to get on and do something and taking an action
towards that.
o Target focus: Person knows what he/she is trying to achieve and won’t get distracted.
o Time focus: Linked to a sense of urgency.
● Advantage: An Intrapreneurselectthose ideasthatare worth pursuing. They have a clear vision
for what you are trying to achieve. Intrapreneurs knows what kind of resources they need and
takes an Advantage person emotions, by appreciating the team.
● Creativity:Creativitythus affectsthe type andqualityof ideas he/she has. They enjoy problems
and problem-solving. They naturally look for new opportunities to be different.
● EGO: Ego is the most disruptive part of an “Intrapreneurs” temperament. Intrapreneurs are
having two kinds of EGOs:
o Inner EGO:Innerego is built around our motivation. What is it a person wants to do and
achieve? A person looks for self-assurance (we have to believe in ourselves and our
talents) and dedication to make what might happen.
o Outer EGO: Thisrepresentsourexternalpersonalitylike what other person thinks about
us? How they react to our action? It is more about a person's ability and willingness to
accept responsibility for our actions and to be accountable.
● TEAM: "T" isthe most importpillarof the Intrapreneurspersonality. They can't do everything by
themselves.Theyneedasupportfromotherkeyteammembers. We all know of teamsthat work
well - they are creative, supportive of each other and they make things happen.
What Challenges Intrapreneurs face
Challenges are on both side (Organizational level and Intrapreneurs level)
An organization has the challenge to find the right the candidate togive a response to become an
Intrapreneur. It is really difficult and time-consuming process to look for an Intrapreneurs at the

9. organizationlevel.An Entrepreneur is looking for an Intrapreneur, is something like he wants to create
his own replica for different products inside the company.
There is always a threat that those Intrapreneurs may spin up to an entrepreneur and become a
competitor to an organization.
However, there are bigger challenges which an Intrapreneur will face in an organization:
A. Challenge with Culture: It is the biggest road blocker and tough to overcome for an
“Intrapreneur”. To break the culture would be the first step for an Intrapreneur in an
organization. He/She has to deal with "Corporate Immune System" which means bureaucracy,
hierarchy,rulesetc.donot supportintrapreneurial culture and behavior. Intrapreneur requires
the ability to effectively get people to open their mind, to accept the new way of approaching
problems, exploring solutions etc.
B. Manage Expectations:Whenan organizationacceptsthe culture of Intrapreneur then they start
with a lot of expectations with them. For an Intrapreneur it is very difficult managing the
expectationsof the leadershipandotherswithinthe organization.Organizationshave fear to fail
because they have invested the money or excited to get the output from the innovation. They
pressurize the Intrapreneur to get best out of him/her and tried to do micromanagement for
each and every step on the product development process. To truly innovate an Intrapreneur,
failure must not only be allowed but encouraged and accepted. Without failure, there is no
learning.
C. Resource Conflicts: We would be talking about multiple ways of resources at this point:
a. Funds:Usually organizationsprovideverylimited funds to an Intrapreneur to work on an
innovation. As Entrepreneurs are trying on the product and on the person's capability
they keep the minimal budget for stage one.
b. Resources: Entrepreneur always looks for shared resources for their experiments. That
processmakesIntrapreneurspathlittletuff andriskybecause he/she maynotgetthe full
resource forhis/herproduct.Intrapreneursneedtime andresourcesinorderto come up
withinnovations.The mostfamousof this Google’s “20% Rule”, in which employees are
allowed to spend one day per week on a project that is unrelated to their work.
D. Strategy Conflicts: Intrapreneurs usually start out by identifying a new or previously missed
opportunity for the parent organization, and then pull together the resources to capture the
opportunity. In these instances, the strategic alignment between the Intrapreneur and the
organizationisobvious.The problemistraditionalentrepreneursatthe idea/seedstage rarely (if
ever) make it to market with the original product they envisioned.
How an organization recognizes an Intrapreneurs?
Intrapreneurs often remain hidden and unrecognized because they often display behavior contrary to
what is considered as "corporate"
An intrapreneur is an employee who works as leaders who challenge processes and invigorate ideas.
With an entrepreneur’s spirit, an inventor’s capacity to solve complex problems, and a passion for
adjustingoperationalsystems,intrapreneursare mostlikelyworkingforyou,butwouldyouknowhowto
identify them?

10. Intrapreneursare indispensableinvestmentsfor your organization. Identify them early and ensure they
have the room and resources to thrive and help your company grow.
You can identify successful intrapreneurs in your company using the following steps:
● Commitment Level: The intrapreneur's mind is constantly working and challenging the status
quo.Theyare the foundersof new ideas, new plans, and better methods. The intrapreneur will
be looking at the world from different angles like :
o the administrative
o financial operations of the business
o Decisions into growing and improving the company.
● Adaptability:Intrapreneursneedstobe veryhigh this scale. They need to be good at observing,
reflecting, accepting, and then adapting. The person should be able to create solutions from a
new starting point. Intrapreneurs are those who get their hands dirty they always seek for
appreciation.
● Self-Motivated: Intrapreneurs always appreciate the value and importance of return on
investment. They always look for an opportunity to contribute to organization success.
Intrapreneurstypicallyinitiatemeaningful innovationswithintheirdepartmentsbefore expecting
or requesting a raise.
● Confidence:Havingahighlevel of confidence iscriticallyimportant.Confidence isastate of mind
and a state of being. Positive thinking and engagement with like-minded people are central to
the dynamic creation and execution of successful business plans which promotes attractive
returns on investment.
● The anchor: Intrapreneurs are generally even-tempered. When a company is in change,
Intrapreneurs keep a level head. Employees tend to follow an executive with a consistent and
balancedtemperamentcomparedtoaninconsistentornegative attitude.Effective management
encourages creative minds to seek solutions during tough organizational challenges.
● Honesty: Honesty and transparency are central to creating and maintaining a successful
intrapreneurial corporate culture.
● Look for Corporate Entrepreneurs: Many entrepreneurs are (or were) intrapreneurs.
Entrepreneursoftenhave the abilitytoidentifymirrorimages of themselves and make room for
advancingthose employeesto help the company succeed. The creation of intrapreneurial spirit
could be exactly what it takes for your business to achieve the best possible results while
fostering loyal, career-minded individuals that share your determination for success.
● Closing note: Being able to recognize the intrapreneurs in your company will make you better
equipped to cultivate a space for them, and your company, to thrive. Championing
intrapreneurship inevitably encourages your company to challenge the status quo, which will
lead to positive paradigm shifts within your organization -- and a vibrant workforce.
Intrapreneurship is a contemporary issue
Intrapreneurship is a contemporary issue with pressing relevance for corporate managers.
Intrapreneurship has a positive impact on organizational growth and profitability. Organizations that

11. build structures and embed values to support intrapreneurship are consequently more likely to have a
high Intrapreneurial Orientation and are more likely to grow than organizations with a low
Intrapreneurial Orientation. Intrapreneurial organizations are more innovative, they continually renew
and this proactive approach leads to new business venturing. Their findings indicate that
intrapreneurship could be particularly beneficial for transition economies.
Intrapreneurship is predominantly based on the company-wide re-organization required to foster
intrapreneurship. Corporate view is often that innovation is the means, rather than the end.
Conclusion:
The objective of this case study has been to reflect a portion on how people's behavior in
organizations. We surely need to look more intrapreneurs and find more appropriate ways of
identifying and supporting Intrapreneurs. Many Intrapreneurs succeed, even though they face
regular challenges and obstacles - but motivation and focus keep them walking on the difficult
path. Some fail because they do not receive the type of support that they need. Others remain
‘hidden'anorganizationfailstodiscovertheirpotential. Intrapreneurship,like entrepreneurship,
is a process driven by opportunity and a willingness to act on opportunities that have been
spotted. It is driven by action. We recognize this but also believe it is important not to believe
that techniques that support the innovation process provide all the answers to the innovation
challenge fororganizations.An organization needs to examine the intrapreneurial mindset and
identifiedkeytraitsof anintrapreneurandexploredthemin the context of both managerial and
employeeactions. However,innovationandintrapreneurship, whilst affected by attributes and
mindset,have anunderlyingprocesselement which is about making things happen and change,
such that action needs to be taken. An intrapreneurial mindset needs to exploit. The research
with established corporations confirms that they employ managers with intrapreneurial
attributes but it does not follow they always exploit this potential, or that managers and
employees are in a position where they are encouraged to behave intrapreneurially.
We are having a list of inspirational "Intrapreneurs” in India, how their “Intrapreneur" started from an
organization and turned around themselves to an "Entrepreneur”.
We thinkof global examples such as Google, 3M, and Intel. These are companies that actively promote
intrapreneurshipwithintheirorganizations, allowingtheiremployeestospendapercentage of theirtime
on innovative ideas that are not related to their normal jobs.
While global examples of Intrapreneurship are plenty, below is a list of Indian Intrapreneurs/ Indian
companies with an Intrapreneurial culture.
#1 Zensar Technology
At Pune-basedZensar Technologies, Vijay Gaikwad, heading the Technology Innovation Group,
has been credited with building a tool called the Solution BluePrint, which has automated the
software engineering process.
#2 Kinetic India

12. The idea for their variant Zing came through one of their employees who suggested that they
must have a mobile charger in their mobile.
#3 Texas Instruments
Single-chip solution for ultra-low-cost handsets is only one of the many solutions that have
emerged out of an intrapreneurial mindset of employees at Texas Instruments.
#4 Intel
Anil Paranjape, an Entrepreneur in Residence at Intel, built a retail automation project that
neighborhoodkiranastorescoulduse tocompete with large retailers. Intel launched this as the
pilot project, installing the point-of-sale (POS) device at small retail outlets in Mumbai.
#5 Infosys Technologies
OnMobile Global,amobile value-addedservicesfirmincubatedwithin Infosys Technologies Ltd,
has grown into a full-fledged company which even went on to release an IPO.
#6 Connect M
SaskenCommunicationsTechnologyLtd,partneredwithventure capital outfitIDGVenturesIndia
to set up a new start-up unit, ConnectM, with employees who seeded the idea of holding an
equity stake in the start-up.
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