Intrapreneurial mindset key for 2020

The age of the “intrapreneur” has well and truly arrived – and lots of us seem to be talking about it as we enter a new decade. They are everywhere - within divisions of all sorts of companies - and every bit as sparky as their entrepreneurial siblings. Intrapreneurs come in many forms, but their common thread is their use of innovation and creativity. And, believe me, we are really going to need to extract every last drop of our intrapreneurial skills to thrive in 2020.

As I reflect on this year about to end, it's also worth saying it was the theme of one of my favourite conferences for 2019 – “Leading Change for an Intrapreneurial Culture” – held in Manchester last month. The lessons I learnt have been key in shaping my thinking.

I chaired a session at this Merit Summit on whether intrapreneurs are “Born or Made” with an excellent panel and also learnt so much else from the speakers. In every business there are already “born” intrapreneurs, but they need to be encouraged. If you give people the right support, and recognition at the workplace, it is possible to create an intrapreneurial culture. And it makes good business sense - happier and more engaged teams make businesses more productive. Much more productive, more than I had appreciated previously.

There are so many benefits from an intrapreneurial mindset. This includes culture change, better strategies for talent and leadership and a much-needed renewal around what L&D is for. The role for learning is crucial: these are times of great economic uncertainty – growth here in the UK has slowed markedly - and the right mindset becomes more important when times are tough. It acts as a bulwark against this uncertainty and a major source of competitive advantage in a rapidly changing world.

Intrapreneurship is very, very learnable. So how to get started? It depends on three things 1. recruiting people with intrapreneurial instincts 2. a learning strategy empowering, not stifling,individuals to become intrapreneurial in outlook and 3. being brave enough to lead teams who are - genuinely - not afraid to fail.

These skills can be developed. The task now is for HR and L&D decision makers to push themselves harder. They need to do as they tell others to do and show their own creativity to create the space and right environment for intrapreneurship to flourish.

Trevor Merriden, Managing Director, Merriborn Consulting