We hear a lot about
entrepreneurs--risk-takers who create, design, and deliver a new product or
service. But what about intrapreneurs?
According to Wikipedia, “intrapreneurship is the act of behaving like an entrepreneur while working within a large
organization.” The idea is to allow opportunities for
individuals and teams within an organization to integrate the innovation and
risk-taking that characterize entrepreneurship into an established system. Although this has great value, the practice
itself involves some risks and willingness to rethink management and
supervision.
For several years, I was responsible for the
supervision of about thirty full-time and part-time ministers who provided
collegiate ministry on campuses across the state of Tennessee. This was an interesting task considering the size
of the state, the variety of campuses involved, and the varied gifts of those
doing the work. Many of these leaders
were intrapreneurs who knew their context better than I did and often brought
significant gifts and insights to their work.
They needed to have freedom to exercise their creativity, and I needed
to provide the supervision that would make our executive leadership happy.
Here are a few things I learned in that setting
(from trial and error) that apply to the supervision of intrapreneurs in an organization.
First, provide as
much freedom as possible while setting reasonable boundaries. The leader’s role is not to find a creative
spark and water it, but to fan the flame.
When a great idea emerges, give the intrapreneur the freedom to pursue
it while making certain that the person knows the boundaries--policies,
finances, and time.
Second, achieve clarity through open
communication. The supervisor of an intrapreneur must both give and elicit
trust. The supervisor trusts the
intrapreneur to take ownership and execution of the project; the intrapreneur trusts
the supervisor to support and encourage the execution of the project within the
boundaries. The old adage that “It is
easier to get forgiveness than permission” only works one time. This approach works only because the
supervisor is willing to share the responsibility for failure and redirect the
praise for success.
Third, be available as
a coach. The supervisor must practice a
coaching approach in working with intrapreneurs, being accessible without
taking control. The goal of a good coach
is the success of the client. In the
same way, the supervisor serves as a coach who calls out the best in the intrapreneur while providing a source of accountability. When the intrapreneur succeeds, the trust of the
supervisor and the organization is rewarded.
Adopting this approach requires
a paradigm shift for most organizations, but the intrapreneurial approach is especially
helpful in working with Millennials who tend to value freedom and flexibility anchored in a "results-only"
work environment. What better way for a
person to prove themselves than to be given the responsibility for a significant
project and the freedom to act?
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