Purpose -The aim of the paper is to provide an understanding of the various factors that enable intrapreneurship in established firms. The paper reports on a case study of intrapreneurship in a large knowledge-intensive industrial firm. Design/methodology/approach -Based on the existing literature, it is suggested that the use of different factors can either enable or inhibit intrapreneurship and five enabling factors that are identified. Based on interviews, on-site observations and documents and reports the five factors with a potential influence on intrapreneurship are examined and alternative factors considered. Findings -The five enabling factors that are identified in the literature are not sufficient to enable intrapreneurship in knowledge-intensive companies, and it is concluded that three additional factors enabling intrapreneurship in established firms should also be taken into account. Practical implications -The knowledge of what makes factors either enablers or inhibitors are incomplete and to enhance the intrapreneurial ability of an organisation, managers must learn which factors to use in different situations. Originality/value -Only very few papers have studied intrapreneurship in specific organisations. This paper contributes with a synthesis of the literature in the area and with a suggestion of a model that is used in the empirical analysis and augmented based on that. The paper furthermore contributes to the body of literature on the factors enabling intrapreneurship in general.
The concept of corporate entrepreneurship has been confusingly used by researchers to explain various organisational phenomena such as ways of managing, strategy and innovation. The abundant use of labels and perspectives interchangeably has consequently led to lack of clarity. This article reviews the literature in order to provide an overview and categorisation of corporate entrepreneurship. The aim is to clarify the concept by identifying the key perspectives. Since there is no unifying theoretical base for the entrepreneurship phenomena-due to, for example, its interdisciplinary grounding in economics, sociology and psychology-a framework for corporate entrepreneurship is developed, consisting of intrapreneurship and exopreneurship. These are further broken down into four complementary perspectives: corporate venturing, internal resources, internationalisation and external networks. It is hoped that, these four perspectives together will give the reader a clearer understanding of corporate entrepreneurship and thereby improve the basis for managerial decisions.
PurposeThe aim of the paper is to explore how innovativeness and creativity in a small technology company changes after the company is acquired by a larger company.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical part of the article is based on interview and questionnaire data, with a focus on employees' perception of innovativeness and creativity, including their own innovativeness in relation to the possibilities offered within the organisational structure.FindingsThe results indicate that entrepreneurial spirit, innovativeness, and creativity in the case company were related to the lack of boundaries to and contact with customers. These driving forces could not be sustained when the organisation matured and was acquired by a larger company.Research limitations/implicationsMore research regarding the integration phase of acquisitions, and how it affects employees and innovativeness, is needed. Case‐based research should examine differences between companies that are repeatedly successful in integrating small technology companies into their organisational structure and those that are not. Employees' motivation as a key factor to innovativeness should be in focus and the research should also include employees that leave the acquired company as well as employees with the acquiring company.Practical implicationsAn acquisition strategy as a way for mature organisations to gain access to innovativeness and new resources and skills can easily fail. Even though the resources and skills of the two companies are complementary and the competencies of the acquired organisation are intact, efforts are needed to make the energies of the two organisations act in tandem. Thus, the pre‐ and post‐integration phases of an acquisition seem to be of paramount importance.Originality/valueVery few papers have studied how employees in an acquired company perceive incorporation into a large mature company. This article adds to research by examining how employees in a small, entrepreneurial company perceive innovation, creativity, and the innovative process three years after being acquired by a large, mature company.
Knowledge management is seen as a metaphorical perspective on management where the managerial focus depends on the epistemological standpoint taken. An identi cation of three epistemological perspectives accommodates the main body of literature on knowledge management: an artifact oriented epistemology that focuses on explicit knowledge, a process oriented epistemology focusing on both tacit and explicit knowledge and the interaction of these types of knowledge and an autopoietic epistemology where knowledge basically always has a tacit dimension. Based on a study of knowledge management in the Danish company Crisplant, the paper shows how the three epistemologies bring different aspects of managerial practice forward. By comparing the characteristics of knowledge, the nature of knowledge management activities, how knowledge is created and shared it is concluded that awareness of the implications of epistemological perspectives could enhance managerial analysis and conduct with respect to the management of knowledge as well as enrich research in the area.
Ever since Peter Drucker stated that there are only two constant factors in business-innovation and marketing-the need for continuously reinventing and changing business organisations, according to the present and future needs of the market place, has been in existence in the management literature. No less today, external turbulence and dynamic market conditions have come to stay for good. However, the challenges are quite different today. The emergence of knowledge-based organisations and increased importance of knowledge as the key to competitive advantage poses new and interesting challenges for managers and researchers alike. In this paper, we will attempt to enlighten theories of intrapreneurship and innovation by applying state-of-the-art knowledge management theory and organisational learning theory to them.
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