Fostering Innovation and Managing Intrapreneurship

The Climate of Innovation and Intrapreneurs

The capacity for a culture of innovation and creativity are factors that increase the competitive advantage of companies.

Creativity is the generation of new ideas or concepts, or new associations between familiar ideas and concepts, which typically produce solutions.

A) The Environment of Innovation and Intrapreneurs

Intrapreneurs are able to see change as a beneficial situation for both themselves and the company, and they are able to contribute new ideas on all sorts of things. Providing a climate in which to develop creativity within the company ensures that interesting ideas do not end in failure. Let's examine these factors:

• 1. Creativity as Merit: It must be recognized as a merit, awarded with congratulations, material incentives, and career promotions.
• 2. Idea Protection: Avoid situations where others appropriate ideas in a competitive environment; objective communication systems should be created for the proposals received.
• 3. Employee Participation: When implementing an innovation that produces substantial benefits for the company, the employee who suggested the idea must participate in the process.

B) Resistance to Innovation

Different working groups react to innovations. The causes of resistance include:

• Previous adaptation people have made to learning techniques and working methods.
• Habituation to a specific remuneration system.

To avoid failure, demonstrations are necessary. Resistance may manifest as:

• Showing indifference and a lack of collaboration.
• Delaying the approval of a project.
• Anticipating negative consequences and results.
• Highlighting the positives of the current situation versus the negatives of implementation.
• Causing errors to hinder the process.

Rules to Avoid Implementation Errors

To avoid errors, take into account these simple rules:

• Adopt innovations that have become necessities to solve problems or achieve genuine improvements.
• Have well-defined objectives.
• Detail the change and the people who will be involved.
• Encourage participation in the implementation of innovations and, if possible, in their design.
• Achieve a positive attitude toward a project from the majority of workers.
• Promoters should follow the process of change to correct defects and adjust execution forecasts to reality.