9 Key Ways To Turn An Employee to An Intrapreneur

Hello friends, here is our 4th part of Intrapreneurs Week Series where we shed light on how Companies can turn their Employees into an Intrapreneur.

Employees who become Intrapreneurs are motivated and possess excellent problem skills. Here are some ways to foster an intrapreneurial mindset among employees:

1. Empower employees.

Drive innovation by empowering employees to make decisions, take charge of projects, and solve problems. Train and then set them free, letting them know the team believes in their capabilities.

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2. Prioritize employee relationships.

Best ideas often come when least expected, such as during a good conversation or enjoyable interaction. Even when the team is running low on ideas, having positive working relationships with one another will be the fuel they need to persist.

Schedule after-work activities in which employees can participate and get to know one another better. Exercise together, share meals, and play games to enhance team bonding.

3. Encourage employees to step outside the scope of their work.

The University of Phoenix study found a key issue blocking innovation: 47 percent of employees said they’re not encouraged to step outside their scope of work.

Encourage to carry out projects outside daily tasks to boost creative thoughts. Allow them to explore other departments and help a team member with something new.

4. Host productive brainstorming sessions.

A quarter of workers in the University of Phoenix survey suggested having brainstorming sessions to address organizational challenges and sharing the company vision and goals with all employees to encourage creative thinking.

Meet, brainstorm ideas and create strategies aligned with organizational goals. Have compelling meetings with a clear purpose.

5. Create a common fund for intrapreneurial initiatives.

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Proving a pool of seed money will help get intrapreneurial ventures off the ground as they are proposed and approved, versus waiting for the next annual budget cycle.

6. Emphasize individuality over conventionality.

Environment has big impact on innovative thought. In fact, a 2013 University of Minnesota study shows physical order produces conventional thought. Participants in the study made healthier and more generous choices when in a clean room than when they were in a disorderly room. But, the disorderly room encouraged breaking convention and tradition -- a key component in innovative thinking.

Not everyone is inspired by the same environment, so not all work spaces should be the same. They should cater to the individual. Allow employees to express their individuality by decorating their workspace in a way that inspires them.

7. Provide access to data and business intelligence.

Intrapreneurs need to be able to move just as quickly as their organizations in responding to market shifts or other external events. So make employees aware of the latest of technological trends.

8. Allow ideas time to incubate.

When employees are allowed to let go and come back to a problem, they have time to let the idea incubate and produce the needed solution.

Sometimes, the most innovative ideas take time. Allow employees to step away and take focus off complicated challenges and issues when they hit a roadblock. Unexpectedly, the right answer may come to them.

9. Celebrate and reward intrapreneurial behavior.

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Nothing motivates like acknowledgement. Recognizing intrapreneurs and calling them out sends other employees a powerful signal that innovation and activation are assets greatly valued by the company.

So these are the researched ways to turn employees to intrapreneurs. Companies will grow even faster by encouraging a climate of intrapreneurship.

 

(References: Entrepreneur, zdnet)

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