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Paper on intrepreneurship and organization performance by Samuel Obino Mokaya

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This document discusses intrapreneurship and its relationship to organizational performance. It defines intrapreneurship as entrepreneurial behavior within an existing company that can lead to innovation and improved firm outcomes. The document reviews theoretical perspectives on intrapreneurship and outlines factors that encourage its development, such as supportive environments, rewards for innovators, and loose structures. When intrapreneurship is successfully implemented, the outcomes can include new products/processes, growth, learning, and increased profitability and customer satisfaction. The document concludes that intrapreneurship can provide competitive advantages and that companies should cultivate environments where employees feel empowered to act entrepreneurially.

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Intrapreneurship and Organizational Performance: Theoretical Perspectives, Approaches and Outcomes By Samuel Obino Mokaya BA, PGD, Ph.D. (Student) o’mokaya@rpe.jkuat.ac.ke, skomokaya@yahoo.com Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, Nairobi, Kenya Paper Presented at the 5 th International Moi University Conference on “Research and Knowledge Dissemination towards building of Healthy and Socio-economically Stable Nations”, 4th to 8th August 2009, Eldoret, Kenya
Background Intrapreneurship (corporate entrepreneurship) has been of interest to scholars & practitioners due to its beneficial effect on firm performance and competitiveness. It is a concept that is fast gaining importance & is the panacea of the future for corporate organizations operating in a dynamic & competitive environment. The quest for competitive advantage & improved performance can no longer be found simply in lower costs, or higher quality, or better services but lies in adaptability, flexibility, speed, aggressiveness & innovativeness, all aspects of entrepreneurship. This is line with Peter Drucker’s old saying that; the only constant thing in business is change seems true & the fast-changing business environments, changing business structures &d rules of competition are becoming part of the ordinary life of most companies, as these are prerequisites for staying in business (Drucker, 1958).
The increasing demand for faster product development, more features in smaller products, higher and uniform quality, stability and lower prices, demands for an entrepreneurial & flexible company with the right environment & systems that stimulate entrepreneurship it its employees (Christensen, 2004). Intrapreneurship works in a supportive environment, where employees have the opportunity to work independently, are given tremendous latitude & are expected to generate & implement new ideas to enhance firm performance. This requires adaptability, flexibility, speed, aggressiveness and innovativeness, all boiling down to one word, intrapreneurship. In modern business setup, corporate managers are unanimous in their desire to make their employees & organizations more entrepreneurial (Herbert et al, 1999), as high intrapreneurial intensity results in better performance (growth & profitability). Results include new products & services, improvement of old ones; new & improved processes & systems which improve efficiencies (Pearce & Carland, 2001). . Therefore identifying & fostering intrapreneurship within a firm is justified precisely because the intrapreneur will develop new products and ideas, which will ultimately improve the firm’s performance.
Purpose The purpose of the analysis is to explore the meaning & role of intrapreneurship in organizational performance. To survive and thrive in today's dynamic business environment, there is overall desire to improve efficiency & productivity (Kuratko & Hodgets, 1998) & to achieve this; firms need to create & continually renew a spirit of disciplined intrapreneurship as the source for continous generation of disruptive innovations (products & services) that alter the rules of the competitive landscape in their favour (Cole, 1959). There is adequate empirical evidence that intrapreneurship is closely linked to improved enterprise performance (Drejer et al, 2004; Lindsey, 2001; Herbert & Brazeal, 1999; Holt, 1992; Covin & Slevin, 1991; Pinchot 1985 and Schumpeter, 1934). Ayudurai & Sohail (2005) contend that if intrapreneurship can be used as a competitive tool, then its development & significance must be explored & highlighted.
Results and Analysis Intrapreneurship, (corporate entrepreneurship) has been used in many organizations as a strategy for organizational renewal & improved performance. It is a process by which individuals inside organizations pursue opportunities without regard to resources they currently control (Stevenson & Jarillo, 1990). When effectively promoted and channeled, intrapreneurship fosters innovation & helps employees with good ideas to better channel the resources to develop more successful products. In a corporate set-up, employees who engage in entrepreneurship are called intrapreneurs, defined by Pinchot (1985) as; Persons who take the hands-on responsibility for creating innovation of any kind within an organization. ‘ Corporate commandos’, courageous souls who form underground teams and networks that routinely bootleg the company resources. The Concept
Intrapreneurs make things happen, creating new commercial successes by violating policy, ignoring chain of command, defying established procedures & coming up with new great products. Intrapreneurship embraces innovations as a key ingredient: product re-formulations, process re-engineering or cost-cutting, seeking untapped markets, new applications of existing products, new ventures, all not being normal efforts of the firm. Miller and Friesen (1982) argue entrepreneurial firms are characterized by their strong willingness to innovate while taking risks in the process. In the Schumpeterian innovation concept, intrapreneurship involves the pursuit of creative or new solutions to challenges confronting the firm; development or enhancement of old & new products and services, markets and administrative techniques & technologies for performing organizational functions. changes in strategy, organizational structures and systems & methods of dealing with competitors are all innovations in the broadest sense of the term (Schumpeter, 1934).
Though many firms commonly acquire ideas or innovations internally, there are a number of situations where some seek innovative ideas externally ( exopreneurship ) in form of franchising, sub-contracting and strategic alliances (Chang, 1999). However, the most common practice is that organizations first seek ideas intrapreneurially from employees, & then move to the divergence in sourcing innovations externally.
Dimensions and Elements Though there is consensus that corporate entrepreneurship is beneficial for the organization, there is still disagreement on the actual dimensions of its construct (Covin and Miles, 1999). Various researchers (Miller, 1983; Miller and Friesen, 1983; Lumpkin and Dess, 1996; Covin and Miles, 1999; Antoncic and Hisrich, 2001) argue that the construct could be classified into four dimensions, namely: (i) new business venturing , (ii) innovativeness , (iii) self-renewal , and (iv) pro-activeness . New business venturing can result in new business creation within an existing organization (Stopford & Baden-Fuller, 1994) - redefining products or services (Zahra, 1991) developing new markets (Zahra, 1991). Innovativeness refers to creation of new products and services, technology (Covin and Slevin, 1991; Zahra, 1993; Knight, 1997). Self-renewal, reflects the transformation of organizations through the renewal of key ideas on which they are built (Guth & Ginsberg, 1990; Zahra, 1991) - redefinition of the business concept, reorganization & introduction of system-wide changes for innovation (Zahra, 1993), new strategic direction (Vesper, 1984) & continuous renewal of the organization. Pro-activeness, is related to aggressive posturing (Knight, 1997) & leadership relative to competitors (Covin and Slevin 1991), risk-taking (Stopford & Baden-Fuller, 1994), initiative-taking (Lumpkin and Dess, 1996), aggressiveness in pursuing opportunities (Covin and Slevin, 1991).
Environment and Systems The single most important factor in establishing an intrapreneur-friendly organization is placing employees in an innovative working environment. Rigid & conservative organizational structures often have a stifling effect on intrapreneurial efforts. Firms that establish a culture of innovation - support with economic & technical resources, expedited with decision-making processes are likely to see tangible results. It should demonstrate willingness to break with traditions by embracing initiatives that run counter to the way it has done things in the past - intrapreneurs thrive on the freedom which fuels their innate desire to innovate. cutting the red tape so that anyone can come forward with an idea on how to improve any aspect of the business, no matter where that person fits on the organizational chart; freedom to fail with lessons for ultimate success. Therefore, for intrapreneurship to flourish in a firm, the leadership has to be willing to listen to & recognize good ideas whenever & from whom they arise. Another important element is the opportunity to share credit equitably & across the board and willingness to break precedent.
Processes, rules of procedure and behaviour which do not apply due to changing business conditions, situations and opportunities should be discarded to create way for establishing new precedents to respond to new opportunities. Kuratko and Hodgets (1998), companies wishing to establish corporate entrepreneurship need to provide the freedom & encouragement intrapreneurs require in developing their ideas. The four major steps to establish such an environment: setting explicit goals mutually agreed by workers & management, creating a system of feedback & positive reinforcement, emphasizing on individual responsibility and, giving rewards based on results. Internal organizational factors that stimulate intrapreneurship include: Firm’s incentives and control systems (Sathe, 1985), Culture (Hisrich and Peters, 1986; Brazeal, 1993), Organizational structure (Naman and Slevin, 1993); Management support (Kuratko et al, 1993). Rewards (Stevenson and Jarillo (1990) Others - autonomy / work discretion; resources including time and their availability; existence of supportive structures; risk taking & tolerance for failure when it occurs.
While intrapreneurs may not want to go into business for themselves, but they still have a hunger to make use of their talents and a wish to be compensated for their contributions. This above viewpoint is supported by Blyers and Rue (1997) in their argument that the free enterprise system is based on the premise that rewards should be based on performance. The performance - reward relationship is desirable not only at the corporate level but also at the individual level - rewards or pay raises based on performance are more likely to make employees experience a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, thereby increasing their intrapreneurial propensity. The external environment has an influence on entrepreneurial activity with dynamism, technological opportunities, industry growth and demand for new products being favourable for intrapreneurship (Covin and Slevin, 1991; Zahra, 1993; Antoncic & Hisrich, 2001).
Approaches There are a number of approaches that can encourage the creativity that leads to profitable innovations within a firm: Inundating “creativity – inclined” people with exhortations to Think outside the box Think sideways about problems Network with others with different perspectives Offering rewards and recognitions to successful innovators; Exhorting supervisors and gate - keepers to be receptive to new ideas, Wink at and ignore time taken from assigned projects and applied to unauthorized ideas By-passes to bureaucratic procedures created for new ideas. Intrepreneurship embodies efforts that require organizational sanctions and resource commitments for purpose of carrying out innovative activities in the form of product process & organizational innovations (Jennings and Young, 1990). The two common approaches used are Skunkworks and bootlegging (Bateman and Zeithaml, 1993). Skunkworks - project teams designated to produce a new product (has specific goal &specified time frame with a respected person as manager) In bootlegging, managers & workers make informal efforts to create new products & processes; sometimes secretive when a bootlegger believes the firm will frown on these activities; results into innovative products and processes.
Rapid & cost-effective innovation is solution to firms in the 21st century & beyond remaining competitive (Lindsey, 2001). Such firms must transform into entrepreneurial management style through creation of environments in which employees: Can take direct responsibility for turning an innovative idea into a profitable finished product, Must be willing to be intrapreneurial or willing to do any job needed to advance their project regardless of their job description; Share credit widely; Remember it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission; Ask for advice before asking for resources; Come to work each day willing to be fired; Keep the best interests of the company and its customers in mind while bending the rules; Under-promise and over-deliver and honour and educate their sponsors.
Others include: Sharing the business strategy, Communicating the firm’s vision, Creating unobstructed implementation channels, Supporting intraprise launch, by providing a sponsor (manager) for cutting through the red-tape and non-constructive politics, Providing resources, helping establish achievable milestones, providing training, Sheltering original mistakes, being part of the intraprise, ensuring the project remains intact & gets proper recognition. Diagnosis and improvement of innovation climate. Innovation is much more efficiently accomplished when done in a supportive environment.
Outcomes There is a strong relationship between intrapreneurship and firm performance & intrapreneurship can give grounds for competitive advantage of an existing firms (Lindsey, 2001). The manifestations of such competitive advantage may be (Covin and Myles, 1999): Differentiation or cost leadership in the market, Quick response to any changes, New strategic direction or new ways of working or learning within the organization. Lumpkin & Dess (1996); Wiklund (1999), firm performance is multi-dimensional and should include both growth & financial performance measures. Wiklund (1999) suggests that sales growth has high generality & a suitable measure of growth since it reflects increased demand for a firm’s products or services. Zahra (1991), growth itself is not a sufficient measure as in some instances, a firm might choose to trade-off long-term growth for short-term profitability.
Accordingly, Wiklund (1999) suggests that measures of both growth & profitability provide a better indication of overall firm performance. Study by Marcus et al (1999) on the impact of intrapreneurial programmes on Fortune 500 manufacturing firms revealed positive results on sales, profits & return on investment resulting from development & sale of new products. Study by Antoncinc and Hisrich (2000) on intrapreneurship modeling in transition economies (comparison of Slovenia & USA) revealed a positive relationship between the presence of intrapreneurship and firm performance, measured in form of growth & profitability. Study by Miller & Friesen (1982), revealed that the rate of growth in sales for entrepreneurial firms was significantly higher than those of conservative firms. Non-financial outcomes include learning & knowledge creation (Zahra et al, 1999), customer satisfaction as well as job satisfaction of the employees.
Proposed Model Note: The proposed model borrows heavily from those proposed by other theorists (Heinonen and Korvela, 2003; Hornsby et al, 1993).
Conclusions and Recommendations Intrapreneurship is a strategic response to the quest for competitive advantage & improved performance. Intrapreneurial organizations engage in new business venturing, are innovative, continuously renew themselves & are pro-active. Intrapreneurship requires the existence of environment & systems that encourage & stimulate employees to act & behave intrapreneurially; Chang (1998) contends that the relationship between entrepreneurial posture & firm performance is moderated by environmental conditions. Firms that nurture organizational structures & values conducive to intrapreneurial activities & have strong intrapreneurial orientations are likely to experience better performance. Intrapreneurship is closely related to firm performance, with firms experiencing high performance levels characterized by high intrapreneurial intensities. The outcomes of intrapreneurial efforts include new products, new processes, new technologies, new markets, learning, customer satisfaction, job satisfaction; all having a positive effect on firm growth and profitability. Firms regardless of size should pursue intrapreneurship as a competitive and performance improvement strategy. For intrapreneurship to thrive, firms need to put in place an environment with support systems, structures and resources that encourage employees to behave entrepreneurially. Various measures of growth and profitability should be considered as its in measuring intrapreneurial outcomes.
THANK YOU Comments, suggestions for improvement Samuel Obino Mokaya

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Paper on intrepreneurship and organization performance by Samuel Obino Mokaya

  • 1. Intrapreneurship and Organizational Performance: Theoretical Perspectives, Approaches and Outcomes By Samuel Obino Mokaya BA, PGD, Ph.D. (Student) o’mokaya@rpe.jkuat.ac.ke, skomokaya@yahoo.com Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, Nairobi, Kenya Paper Presented at the 5 th International Moi University Conference on “Research and Knowledge Dissemination towards building of Healthy and Socio-economically Stable Nations”, 4th to 8th August 2009, Eldoret, Kenya
  • 2. Background Intrapreneurship (corporate entrepreneurship) has been of interest to scholars & practitioners due to its beneficial effect on firm performance and competitiveness. It is a concept that is fast gaining importance & is the panacea of the future for corporate organizations operating in a dynamic & competitive environment. The quest for competitive advantage & improved performance can no longer be found simply in lower costs, or higher quality, or better services but lies in adaptability, flexibility, speed, aggressiveness & innovativeness, all aspects of entrepreneurship. This is line with Peter Drucker’s old saying that; the only constant thing in business is change seems true & the fast-changing business environments, changing business structures &d rules of competition are becoming part of the ordinary life of most companies, as these are prerequisites for staying in business (Drucker, 1958).
  • 3. The increasing demand for faster product development, more features in smaller products, higher and uniform quality, stability and lower prices, demands for an entrepreneurial & flexible company with the right environment & systems that stimulate entrepreneurship it its employees (Christensen, 2004). Intrapreneurship works in a supportive environment, where employees have the opportunity to work independently, are given tremendous latitude & are expected to generate & implement new ideas to enhance firm performance. This requires adaptability, flexibility, speed, aggressiveness and innovativeness, all boiling down to one word, intrapreneurship. In modern business setup, corporate managers are unanimous in their desire to make their employees & organizations more entrepreneurial (Herbert et al, 1999), as high intrapreneurial intensity results in better performance (growth & profitability). Results include new products & services, improvement of old ones; new & improved processes & systems which improve efficiencies (Pearce & Carland, 2001). . Therefore identifying & fostering intrapreneurship within a firm is justified precisely because the intrapreneur will develop new products and ideas, which will ultimately improve the firm’s performance.
  • 4. Purpose The purpose of the analysis is to explore the meaning & role of intrapreneurship in organizational performance. To survive and thrive in today's dynamic business environment, there is overall desire to improve efficiency & productivity (Kuratko & Hodgets, 1998) & to achieve this; firms need to create & continually renew a spirit of disciplined intrapreneurship as the source for continous generation of disruptive innovations (products & services) that alter the rules of the competitive landscape in their favour (Cole, 1959). There is adequate empirical evidence that intrapreneurship is closely linked to improved enterprise performance (Drejer et al, 2004; Lindsey, 2001; Herbert & Brazeal, 1999; Holt, 1992; Covin & Slevin, 1991; Pinchot 1985 and Schumpeter, 1934). Ayudurai & Sohail (2005) contend that if intrapreneurship can be used as a competitive tool, then its development & significance must be explored & highlighted.
  • 5. Results and Analysis Intrapreneurship, (corporate entrepreneurship) has been used in many organizations as a strategy for organizational renewal & improved performance. It is a process by which individuals inside organizations pursue opportunities without regard to resources they currently control (Stevenson & Jarillo, 1990). When effectively promoted and channeled, intrapreneurship fosters innovation & helps employees with good ideas to better channel the resources to develop more successful products. In a corporate set-up, employees who engage in entrepreneurship are called intrapreneurs, defined by Pinchot (1985) as; Persons who take the hands-on responsibility for creating innovation of any kind within an organization. ‘ Corporate commandos’, courageous souls who form underground teams and networks that routinely bootleg the company resources. The Concept
  • 6. Intrapreneurs make things happen, creating new commercial successes by violating policy, ignoring chain of command, defying established procedures & coming up with new great products. Intrapreneurship embraces innovations as a key ingredient: product re-formulations, process re-engineering or cost-cutting, seeking untapped markets, new applications of existing products, new ventures, all not being normal efforts of the firm. Miller and Friesen (1982) argue entrepreneurial firms are characterized by their strong willingness to innovate while taking risks in the process. In the Schumpeterian innovation concept, intrapreneurship involves the pursuit of creative or new solutions to challenges confronting the firm; development or enhancement of old & new products and services, markets and administrative techniques & technologies for performing organizational functions. changes in strategy, organizational structures and systems & methods of dealing with competitors are all innovations in the broadest sense of the term (Schumpeter, 1934).
  • 7. Though many firms commonly acquire ideas or innovations internally, there are a number of situations where some seek innovative ideas externally ( exopreneurship ) in form of franchising, sub-contracting and strategic alliances (Chang, 1999). However, the most common practice is that organizations first seek ideas intrapreneurially from employees, & then move to the divergence in sourcing innovations externally.
  • 8. Dimensions and Elements Though there is consensus that corporate entrepreneurship is beneficial for the organization, there is still disagreement on the actual dimensions of its construct (Covin and Miles, 1999). Various researchers (Miller, 1983; Miller and Friesen, 1983; Lumpkin and Dess, 1996; Covin and Miles, 1999; Antoncic and Hisrich, 2001) argue that the construct could be classified into four dimensions, namely: (i) new business venturing , (ii) innovativeness , (iii) self-renewal , and (iv) pro-activeness . New business venturing can result in new business creation within an existing organization (Stopford & Baden-Fuller, 1994) - redefining products or services (Zahra, 1991) developing new markets (Zahra, 1991). Innovativeness refers to creation of new products and services, technology (Covin and Slevin, 1991; Zahra, 1993; Knight, 1997). Self-renewal, reflects the transformation of organizations through the renewal of key ideas on which they are built (Guth & Ginsberg, 1990; Zahra, 1991) - redefinition of the business concept, reorganization & introduction of system-wide changes for innovation (Zahra, 1993), new strategic direction (Vesper, 1984) & continuous renewal of the organization. Pro-activeness, is related to aggressive posturing (Knight, 1997) & leadership relative to competitors (Covin and Slevin 1991), risk-taking (Stopford & Baden-Fuller, 1994), initiative-taking (Lumpkin and Dess, 1996), aggressiveness in pursuing opportunities (Covin and Slevin, 1991).
  • 9. Environment and Systems The single most important factor in establishing an intrapreneur-friendly organization is placing employees in an innovative working environment. Rigid & conservative organizational structures often have a stifling effect on intrapreneurial efforts. Firms that establish a culture of innovation - support with economic & technical resources, expedited with decision-making processes are likely to see tangible results. It should demonstrate willingness to break with traditions by embracing initiatives that run counter to the way it has done things in the past - intrapreneurs thrive on the freedom which fuels their innate desire to innovate. cutting the red tape so that anyone can come forward with an idea on how to improve any aspect of the business, no matter where that person fits on the organizational chart; freedom to fail with lessons for ultimate success. Therefore, for intrapreneurship to flourish in a firm, the leadership has to be willing to listen to & recognize good ideas whenever & from whom they arise. Another important element is the opportunity to share credit equitably & across the board and willingness to break precedent.
  • 10. Processes, rules of procedure and behaviour which do not apply due to changing business conditions, situations and opportunities should be discarded to create way for establishing new precedents to respond to new opportunities. Kuratko and Hodgets (1998), companies wishing to establish corporate entrepreneurship need to provide the freedom & encouragement intrapreneurs require in developing their ideas. The four major steps to establish such an environment: setting explicit goals mutually agreed by workers & management, creating a system of feedback & positive reinforcement, emphasizing on individual responsibility and, giving rewards based on results. Internal organizational factors that stimulate intrapreneurship include: Firm’s incentives and control systems (Sathe, 1985), Culture (Hisrich and Peters, 1986; Brazeal, 1993), Organizational structure (Naman and Slevin, 1993); Management support (Kuratko et al, 1993). Rewards (Stevenson and Jarillo (1990) Others - autonomy / work discretion; resources including time and their availability; existence of supportive structures; risk taking & tolerance for failure when it occurs.
  • 11. While intrapreneurs may not want to go into business for themselves, but they still have a hunger to make use of their talents and a wish to be compensated for their contributions. This above viewpoint is supported by Blyers and Rue (1997) in their argument that the free enterprise system is based on the premise that rewards should be based on performance. The performance - reward relationship is desirable not only at the corporate level but also at the individual level - rewards or pay raises based on performance are more likely to make employees experience a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, thereby increasing their intrapreneurial propensity. The external environment has an influence on entrepreneurial activity with dynamism, technological opportunities, industry growth and demand for new products being favourable for intrapreneurship (Covin and Slevin, 1991; Zahra, 1993; Antoncic & Hisrich, 2001).
  • 12. Approaches There are a number of approaches that can encourage the creativity that leads to profitable innovations within a firm: Inundating “creativity – inclined” people with exhortations to Think outside the box Think sideways about problems Network with others with different perspectives Offering rewards and recognitions to successful innovators; Exhorting supervisors and gate - keepers to be receptive to new ideas, Wink at and ignore time taken from assigned projects and applied to unauthorized ideas By-passes to bureaucratic procedures created for new ideas. Intrepreneurship embodies efforts that require organizational sanctions and resource commitments for purpose of carrying out innovative activities in the form of product process & organizational innovations (Jennings and Young, 1990). The two common approaches used are Skunkworks and bootlegging (Bateman and Zeithaml, 1993). Skunkworks - project teams designated to produce a new product (has specific goal &specified time frame with a respected person as manager) In bootlegging, managers & workers make informal efforts to create new products & processes; sometimes secretive when a bootlegger believes the firm will frown on these activities; results into innovative products and processes.
  • 13. Rapid & cost-effective innovation is solution to firms in the 21st century & beyond remaining competitive (Lindsey, 2001). Such firms must transform into entrepreneurial management style through creation of environments in which employees: Can take direct responsibility for turning an innovative idea into a profitable finished product, Must be willing to be intrapreneurial or willing to do any job needed to advance their project regardless of their job description; Share credit widely; Remember it is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission; Ask for advice before asking for resources; Come to work each day willing to be fired; Keep the best interests of the company and its customers in mind while bending the rules; Under-promise and over-deliver and honour and educate their sponsors.
  • 14. Others include: Sharing the business strategy, Communicating the firm’s vision, Creating unobstructed implementation channels, Supporting intraprise launch, by providing a sponsor (manager) for cutting through the red-tape and non-constructive politics, Providing resources, helping establish achievable milestones, providing training, Sheltering original mistakes, being part of the intraprise, ensuring the project remains intact & gets proper recognition. Diagnosis and improvement of innovation climate. Innovation is much more efficiently accomplished when done in a supportive environment.
  • 15. Outcomes There is a strong relationship between intrapreneurship and firm performance & intrapreneurship can give grounds for competitive advantage of an existing firms (Lindsey, 2001). The manifestations of such competitive advantage may be (Covin and Myles, 1999): Differentiation or cost leadership in the market, Quick response to any changes, New strategic direction or new ways of working or learning within the organization. Lumpkin & Dess (1996); Wiklund (1999), firm performance is multi-dimensional and should include both growth & financial performance measures. Wiklund (1999) suggests that sales growth has high generality & a suitable measure of growth since it reflects increased demand for a firm’s products or services. Zahra (1991), growth itself is not a sufficient measure as in some instances, a firm might choose to trade-off long-term growth for short-term profitability.
  • 16. Accordingly, Wiklund (1999) suggests that measures of both growth & profitability provide a better indication of overall firm performance. Study by Marcus et al (1999) on the impact of intrapreneurial programmes on Fortune 500 manufacturing firms revealed positive results on sales, profits & return on investment resulting from development & sale of new products. Study by Antoncinc and Hisrich (2000) on intrapreneurship modeling in transition economies (comparison of Slovenia & USA) revealed a positive relationship between the presence of intrapreneurship and firm performance, measured in form of growth & profitability. Study by Miller & Friesen (1982), revealed that the rate of growth in sales for entrepreneurial firms was significantly higher than those of conservative firms. Non-financial outcomes include learning & knowledge creation (Zahra et al, 1999), customer satisfaction as well as job satisfaction of the employees.
  • 17. Proposed Model Note: The proposed model borrows heavily from those proposed by other theorists (Heinonen and Korvela, 2003; Hornsby et al, 1993).
  • 18. Conclusions and Recommendations Intrapreneurship is a strategic response to the quest for competitive advantage & improved performance. Intrapreneurial organizations engage in new business venturing, are innovative, continuously renew themselves & are pro-active. Intrapreneurship requires the existence of environment & systems that encourage & stimulate employees to act & behave intrapreneurially; Chang (1998) contends that the relationship between entrepreneurial posture & firm performance is moderated by environmental conditions. Firms that nurture organizational structures & values conducive to intrapreneurial activities & have strong intrapreneurial orientations are likely to experience better performance. Intrapreneurship is closely related to firm performance, with firms experiencing high performance levels characterized by high intrapreneurial intensities. The outcomes of intrapreneurial efforts include new products, new processes, new technologies, new markets, learning, customer satisfaction, job satisfaction; all having a positive effect on firm growth and profitability. Firms regardless of size should pursue intrapreneurship as a competitive and performance improvement strategy. For intrapreneurship to thrive, firms need to put in place an environment with support systems, structures and resources that encourage employees to behave entrepreneurially. Various measures of growth and profitability should be considered as its in measuring intrapreneurial outcomes.
  • 19. THANK YOU Comments, suggestions for improvement Samuel Obino Mokaya