Intrapreneur might sound like the latest buzzword, but the term has actually been around since the 1970s. Being an intrapreneur means innovating within a company like an entrepreneur. The concept has never been more relevant for Kelly Ling, a leadership coach, head of organizational effectiveness at DoorDash, and a self-described intrapreneur.
“A lot of folks today are not staying in the same career forever,” Kelly says. “They’re looking for that pivot, but they may have some insecurities around their experience.” According to her, businesses face increasingly complex problems that require entrepreneurial skills.
Kelly sees intrapreneurship as a way to design your role based on your strengths and your organization’s needs. “My whole career has been about moving from one role to another and positioning my other experience as a unique differentiator.”
Here’s how she leverages her skills, plus the benefits of intrapreneurship and tips for how to become an intrapreneur.
What is an intrapreneur?
An intrapreneur is someone who innovates within an organization. Gifford Pinchot III and Elizabeth S. Pinchot coined the term intrapreneur in 1978 as a strategy for companies “so large that the managers making decisions are often isolated from a personal knowledge of the problems to be solved.”
A brief history of intrapreneurship
The Pinchots—known for their contributions to sustainable business, environmentalism, and organizational theory—felt decision-makers in large companies won their positions based on their social graces rather than results.
In their 1978 paper, the Pinchots suggested decision-making should instead be placed in the hands of employees most likely to get results.
“Such people will be willing to take moderate risks and will be more concerned with achieving results than with gaining influence,” they wrote. “These are among the characteristics of the successful entrepreneur.”
Hence the name intrapreneur. “Intra-” means “within,” so an intrapreneur has the risk-taking and problem-solving traits of an entrepreneur. Intrapreneurs put those entrepreneurial skills and their entrepreneurial mindset to use within an organization.
Intrapreneurship today
The Pinchots’ definition speaks to the value of intrapreneurship for companies, but what does it mean for the intrapreneurs themselves?
For Kelly, successful intrapreneurship is about “identifying opportunities, defining a role for yourself, and pitching that to your senior leaders and sponsors to then create that role for you.”
Entrepreneur vs. intrapreneur: What’s the difference?
The difference between an entrepreneur and an intrapreneur is that an intrapreneur innovates within an existing organization, while an entrepreneur starts new businesses. Unlike entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs innovate within companies rather than starting new ones.
But there’s some overlap: Kelly says that occasionally an established company approaches an entrepreneur to take its business assets and create a net new business or business line.
In these situations, Kelly says the core difference is whether or not you’re directly accountable to revenue. As an intrapreneur, your role likely revolves around supporting the existing business.
“So you’re entrepreneurial in creating something new, but it’s not in itself driving net new business,” says Kelly.
Roles of intrapreneurs
- Chief of staff
- Culture, engagement, and employee experience
- Founder
- Organizational development and effectiveness
- Social corporate responsibility
- Special projects
Kelly says you’ll very seldom find a job description that’s called intrapreneur, but there are certain roles that use the same skill set. Most of these are internal roles designed to make an organization more effective, including:
Chief of staff
“At any company, there are lots of standard job descriptions, and then there are a lot of squishy, undefined needs,” Kelly says. Chief of staff is one of those broader roles that covers a lot of different business needs and functions.
A chief of staff works closely with a company’s CEO to drive business goals, getting an inside look at many different aspects of the business. The role also involves a lot of networking within the company—putting the right people and departments in touch at the right time.
Culture, engagement, and employee experience
These roles revolve around improving corporate culture and ensuring employees have the tools to thrive within the organization. To do this, you need to work with individuals from different departments to understand their needs.
You also try to identify areas for improvement and find innovativesolutions.
Founder
We tend to think of founders as entrepreneurs who come up with a business idea on their own, get funding, and start their own business from the ground up. But sometimes established companies bring on a new founder to use the company’s resources to create a new venture or start a new product line.
In this sense, a founder is an intrapreneur within an existing company. Unlike other intrapreneurial roles, their success is usually directly tied to revenue goals. Since they’ve likely previously started their own business, they’re uniquely suited to the role of intrapreneur.
Organizational development and effectiveness
Org development and effectiveness roles focus on solving problems, driving change, and designing effective systems. These roles involve identifying ineffective systems, designing new processes and resources, and implementing them.
Social corporate responsibility
The social corporate responsibility (SCR) department is in charge of holding a company accountable to its values and promoting a sustainable business model. It’s not just about philanthropy and conserving resources—SCR keeps a business on track to meet its long-term big-picture goals.
Special projects
Special projects can mean almost anything, but they’re inherently intrapreneurial in that there’s a need within the company that an existing role, team, or department can’t solve.
You may be brought on for a short-term contract, have a small team or work solo, and collaborate with people from different departments to achieve your role.
Benefits of intrapreneurship
Businesses and employees alike can benefit from a culture that supports intrapreneurship. Here are the advantages of intrapreneurship:
Diverse perspectives
When you’re an intrapreneur, people come to you to tease out ideas. Kelly says you start to get this diverse perspective of what’s going on at your organization as a result.
Businesses benefit from having intrapreneurial employees who can make decisions and recommendations based on their knowledge of how an issue impacts different departments, levels, or roles.
Flexibility
For intrapreneurs, creating your own role provides an opportunity to bring together various skills and interests. You often have the flexibility to work with different departments on many projects.
For businesses, supporting intrapreneurial roles means dedicating company resources to solving problems that don’t have a clear home within the existing organizational structure.
Innovation
Companies that truly value innovation need an innovation management strategy—ideally one that supports employees who solve problems senior leaders may not know how to fix. Employees who feel empowered to take initiative often developinnovative products and systems.
Characteristics of intrapreneurs
Many of the key characteristics of a successful intrapreneur are traits a successful entrepreneur also has.
“You’re driving culture change, you’re setting up new programs, you’re influencing, you’re meeting people, you’re identifying gaps throughout the organization, and then you’re finding ways to solve them,” Kelly says.
Here are a few traits to consider:
Confidence
You need a certain amount of confidence to pitch new ideas to senior leaders—especially if your ideas involve changing established systems. Confidence is a skill aspiring intrapreneurs build with the help of an empowering manager or mentor.
Decision-making
Intrapreneurs are often called upon to make decisions and lead the way forward. They’re comfortable gathering information from diverse perspectives to make an informed decision, and once they’re ready to make that decision, they make it clear what the plan is.
Identifying gaps
Intrapreneurs have a knack for identifying problems that others might overlook. They find gaps within an organization and confidently share what they identify.
Influence
Intrapreneurs use their influence to drive change. “People know that when this person’s in the room, they’re going to have really good ideas,” Kelly says.
People need to hear your ideas before you can implement them, so successful intrapreneurs build up a reputation for getting things done.
Networking
Networking usually means talking to people from outside organizations. As an intrapreneur, “it’s about talking to people that are maybe outside of your daily scope,” Kelly says.
Intrapreneurs feel comfortable reaching out to people outside their immediate team and know how to build strong relationships with them.
Problem-solving
Intrapreneurs are excellent problem solvers. As an intrapreneur, you might be tasked with finding new solutions to the problems you identify or to long-standing issues that others cannot fix.
Risk-taking
If you have an entrepreneurial spirit but don’t want to take on all the risks of starting a business, intrapreneurship might be a good fit. Successful intrapreneurs feel comfortable taking moderate risks, like suggesting an idea that may fail.
If you’re risk-averse, intrapreneurship may be stressful because it often involves trying new things without knowing whether your ideas will succeed.
Tips for intrapreneurs and how to become an intrapreneur
So, you think you might be happy in an intrapreneurial role. What’s next?
Test out the culture
Kelly advises testing a company's corporate culture when interviewing or networking if you’re interested in taking on an intrapreneurial role.
“If you’re at an organization where folks say, ‘Stay in your lane,’ they’re probably not gonna be super excited about your change-driving,” Kelly says.
Ask if senior leaders trust employees to do what they need to do to achieve results or if there’s a strict hierarchy.
“The less hierarchy, the flatter the organization, the more folks talk about ownership and driving things end to end. Those are all positive signs that there's an appetite for someone to come in and drive change,” Kelly says.
Get your foot in the door with another role
You probably won’t find an opening for an intrapreneur on LinkedIn or Indeed. That doesn’t mean you can’t carve out an intrapreneurial role for yourself at a business whose core values include innovation.
“These roles aren’t generally posted because they’re created by internal applicants,” Kelly explains. “Sometimes you have to get your foot in the door with a more specific role that does have a job description and that you know you have the skills for.”
Build your influence
Once you’ve got your foot in the door, start building your influence and finding sponsors by doing an excellent job in the role you were hired for.
“Make your manager’s life as easy as possible, and then build your influence circle around there,” Kelly advises. Once you’ve earned your manager’s trust, you can start requesting side projects that involve collaborating with people in different departments.
“Usually after a year or two, the opportunities become clear and present themselves to you,” Kelly says.
Intrapreneur FAQ
How do you become an intrapreneur?
If you have the intrapreneurial spirit, look for roles like chief of staff, organizational development, and special projects. If you can’t find the perfect role, get your foot in the door of an innovative company with another role you have the skills for. Then, find sponsors, work on meaningful side projects, and eventually pitch your new role.
Can everyone be an intrapreneur?
You probably already know if you have an intrapreneurial mindset. You’re someone who comes up with innovative ideas, wants to stay ahead of the curve, and enjoys learning new skills.
What are the types of intrapreneurs?
There are two main types of intrapreneurs: those in support roles who innovate within a company and entrepreneurs brought on by a company to create a new business line.
