10 Aug Global Mobility, Companies: How to Recognize Intrapreneurial Talent, Create Systems

Global mobility specialists and employers in general need intrapreneurs now more than ever. The US corporate culture has relied on the C-level leaders in an organization that they neglect many of their employees’ capabilities to be the in-house entrepreneur — the diligent intrapreneur who is perpetually seeking ways to innovate and enhance their roles, the quality of their work, and sometimes the entire corporate structure. The best thing about them is that they go beyond what they can do and apply startup methods within a corporate setting. 

This is why it’s even better that companies need to systematize this mindset and package it for everyone to emulate and foster as a mission. 

While top-down innovation comes from leadership directing strategic priorities, there is bottom-up innovation from the intrapreneur mindset that emerges organically. While remote work has not helped employees say their piece, having an intrapreneurship system should empower employees to innovate within the guardrails of company vision and values.

Having an intrapreneurship system opens communication channels across silos, levels, and teams. Innovation accelerates when insights can spread fluidly across the organization.

Intrapreneurs balance radical thinking with political savvy. They disrupt conventions but also understand organizational dynamics in order to drive adoption of their ideas. Intrapreneurs have a relentless passion for driving change from within.

Companies need to acknowledge their in-house entrepreneurs. Structural barriers like excessive approvals, status quo thinking, and risk aversion hinder innovation. Streamlining governance gives intrapreneurs space to experiment and challenge assumptions.

To build an intrapreneurial culture, companies need to have the following in mind:

• Make it unique to your organization
• Align it to core competencies and goals
• Take a holistic approach across all dimensions
• Involve internal and external stakeholders
• Appoint a “chief ecosystem officer” reporting to leadership
• Facilitate innovation by reducing bureaucracy

Many American companies owe a great deal of their most remarkable achievements to visionary entrepreneurs — and their trusted lieutenants. 

How to spot an intrapreneur?

How to spot an intrapreneur in a company to be your “model” for your system? 

Intrapreneurs are the internal innovation drivers that every company needs. You can identify these motivated change agents by watching for certain key behaviors. Intrapreneurs consistently propose new ideas to improve processes or offerings. 

They actively inquire about company operations to deeply understand pain points and spot opportunities. Eager to learn, intrapreneurs seek knowledge from colleagues across the organization. Rather than passively waiting for direction, they take initiative to lead projects that captivate their interests. Intrapreneurs actively pursue leadership roles that allow them to make a tangible impact on the organization.

They are Creators: Creators are easily distinguishable. They are the employees who perpetually seek more efficient ways to complete tasks, constantly adapting to enhance productivity. They frequently suggest innovative solutions to problems and are often brainstorming new plans before their initial ideas are fully implemented. Creators exude optimism and brim with ideas to enhance the organization.

They are Doers: On the implementation side, doers excel at taking ideas and translating them into action, effectively bridging the gap between conceptualization and tangible results. Task-oriented and dedicated, they are the driving force behind project completion, step by step.

They are Implementers: Implementers possess a knack for grasping the bigger picture; they are goal-driven and highly productive, performing exceptionally well under pressure to accomplish tasks. They spare no effort in executing plans and are frequently responsible for turning innovative ideas into reality.

They are Proactive. A critical competency for intrapreneurs is proactivity – making things happen rather than waiting for them. Leaders prize employees who get things done through drive and initiative. Proactive intrapreneurs move faster than peers, taking action and apologizing rather than asking permission.

In the wrong culture this causes trouble, but they are undeterred, only interested in roles with impact potential. This mirrors inclusive leadership qualities like curiosity, passion, humility, and fearless devotion to change. 

Leadership essence is progress, not status quo. Proactivity provides the momentum for any change force. By unleashing their most proactive employees, companies gain internal innovation drivers to shape the future.

All these qualities are actually easy to spot but unfortunately, many companies are not so keen on recognizing it. Global mobility specialists are ideally positioned to help companies see and identify these intrapreneurs. Having brought them from abroad or another state, it’s vital that they know what their talents are capable of. They should see how these assignees assume more responsibilities within the organization, how they leverage their knowledge and business processes to introduce valuable and strategic innovations.