Intrapreneurship is the act of behaving like an entrepreneur while working within a large organization. An intrapreneur works with an existing company’s resources to participate in or lead programs like internal innovation to help solve problems from the inside-out. This is often referred to as “fostering a culture of innovation.”
Employees want to feel independent enough to own their innovative thinking and to pursue the ideas they are passionate about. In fact, if management effectively fosters a creative and open environment, innovation will happen naturally. Here are some potential ideas to kick-start an internal culture of innovation.
idea: launch an internal developer evangelism program
Building awareness in the developer community internally provides an opportunity to network with and introduce tools as a part of initial evangelism efforts.
How it could work:
Evangelism and socialization is a critical component of gaining excitement about a new product or service internally.
Here are potential activities to consider for building an internal developer evangelism program:
- Establish expectations for the role
- Identify internal channels for evangelism (where to contribute and in what format)
- Create database of “internal” thought leaders and influencers who may be interested in engaging with the evangelist
- Include internal evangelism in the innovation process
CSFs:
- Channels for evangelism
- Placement of where evangelism fits within the innovation process
KPIs:
- # of posts/authoring/quote contributions to social media, website or internal thought leadership
- # reach or engagement in published work
- #of events (webinars or seminars)
- # or % of audience members per event
Channels for evangelism:
- Produce thought leadership like white papers, blogs, and partner interviews for distribution internally via an intranet, employee newsletters, webinars, or social media channels
- Host internal events like internal hackathon days, education workshops, and technical demos
Example company that does “internal evangelism” well:
Apple – Guy Kawasaki
what’s next?
We recommend treating any internal innovation initiative just as you would an external program: with authenticity, openness, and thoughtfulness. When you’re ready to foster intrapreneurship, contact C2. You’d be surprised what talent you already have within your organization!