It has become fashionable for corporates to state that they have to become more entrepreneurial. A route to realize this is via intrapreneurship. However, in contrast to the level of enthusiasm about intrapreneurship, reality shows that effectively incorporating intrapreneurship within an established company is almost a mission impossible. In this talk I will take you through the intrapreneurship cycle: how can we make the elements work, and connect them to become a virtuous cycle instead of the proliferating vicious cycles we see in practice.

1. Intrapreneurship
Mission Impossible
Intrapreneurship Conference Amsterdam 2016
Erik Stam

3. Arthur Fry
Ken Kutaragi
Jef Raskin (#31)
Paul Buchheit (#23)

4. The intrapreneurship puzzle
Selection
Performance
Organization
Innovation

5. Paul Buchheit (#23)

6. All pieces of the intrapreneurship puzzle need to be
in place, in order to lead to improved performance
Continuous
growth
Google
Resources /
time &
leadership
Product & service
innovations
+
+
Highly
educated
achievers
+

8. All pieces of the intrapreneurship puzzle need to be
in place, in order to lead to improved performance
Collapse
ABN AMRO Bank
Bonus
for increasing
output
Financial
innovations
+
+
_
Proactive
employees_

9. Selection
Performance
Organization
Innovation
Organizing for Innovation

10. Organizing for Innovation – Job characteristics
• Job autonomy
– Positive effect on job satisfaction!
• Job variety
– Making new combinations at work!
– Internal flexibility – external flexibility: both
positive for innovation
• External contacts
– New knowledge, bridge cognitive distance
– Alumni

11. Organizing for Innovation – HR system
• Reward structure
– What are the appropriate rewards?
• What’s measured, gets done (#transactions, #patents, …)
• Rewarding ‘failure’ / success: innovation
downside/upside
• Resources / time
– Slack resources for experimentation (moderate
workload, work on long-term problem-solving)
=> Innovation contests

12. Organizing for Innovation – Leadership & Group
• Leadership
– Participative leadership
– Transformational leadership
– Direct managerial support
• Group climate
– Intrapreneurship as ‘norm’
– Shared vision
– Participative safety
• speak up and raise concerns, without fear of negative
consequences

13. Selection
Performance
Organization
Innovation
Organizing for Innovation
!

14. Intrapreneurship
Mission Impossible
Intrapreneurship Conference Amsterdam 2016
Erik Stam