Disrupting from the inside: why intrapreneurship can be better than entrepreneurship

It seems everyone wants to be an entrepreneur and has an idea for a startup. Aspiring to be the next Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk or Richard Branson.

But instead of being obsessed with entrepreneurs, should we switch our attention to intrapreneurs?

The world around us is changing at a dramatic pace. Disruptive technologies and digital advances are ushering us into an era of unprecedented customer connectivity and empowerment that is driving service expectations to new levels. And these changes are disrupting almost every industry’s traditional business model.

This worries many businesses. No one wants to be remembered as another Blockbuster or Kodak – large organizations that failed because their marketplaces were disrupted by new entrants with new technology and new business models.

It’s why many large corporates cannot resist the lure of startups. They all hope to soak up that innovative flair and entrepreneurial spirit by collaborating with new tech companies. But are they missing a trick?

“Organizations are talking about the need to be more entrepreneurial, but often what they need to become is more intrapreneurial. Companies pride themselves on recruiting the brightest talent, but then fail to turn to those same people to solve the biggest issues impacting their business,” says Céline Bucher, HR Program Lead in Zurich North America. “Many organizations – especially large corporations – are awash with creative ideas but miss to act on them.”

This is where intrapreneurship steps in. An intrapreneur is an employee empowered to develop an innovative idea or project within a company to enhance its future. They have the time and claim the freedom to develop the project as an entrepreneur would.

Intrapreneurs may also seek to broaden the current vision of an established company. This may involve radical changes to company traditions, processes or products. In essence, an intrapreneur acts like an innovative entrepreneur, but within the ecosystem of a larger, more traditional, organization.

Intrapreneur vs. Entrepreneur

The value to companies is clear, but what benefits do intrapreneurs gain from sharing their innovative ideas with their employer? Shouldn’t they focus their time on becoming an entrepreneur?

“While both intrapreneurs and entrepreneurs are innovators with a passion for building something new, intrapreneurs can benefit from greater job security, lower risk and ready access to the resources of their large organization. Being an intrapreneur, while it has its challenges, is sometimes more accessible to people who value that balance between stability and change. And if you get it right, the potential impact of scaling your solution across a global organization is significant,” explains Kara Wenger, Head of Work Sustainability at Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich).

And intrapreneurs don’t just focus on helping businesses disrupt business models, they can also find solutions to broader issues like climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, to resolving societal tensions and diversity and inclusion. This could be via creating a new product which has a social impact, or by building a community of employees focused on inclusion and giving them a voice where it matters.

NEXT: Thinking differently about the role of employees

“Businesses have to continually innovate, evolve and grow to stay relevant to their customers, employees and society,” says Kara. “It’s a daunting challenge, but the trick is to think differently about the role employees can play in shaping the future of their company and changing it from within.”

In 2019 a grassroots movement called NEXT was founded within Zurich by 12 employees with a passion for giving their colleagues a voice, encouraging intergenerational dialogue, sparking connections and actively contributing to building a better future together – not just for the business, but for the communities in which Zurich operates.

NEXT is an intrapreneurial movement. It has created a community and platform for Zurich employees to innovate, drive change from within and address social issues outside of the boundaries of their “day jobs”.

Over the past two years, NEXT has evolved rapidly. From the initial 12 founding members to now a community of over 1,600 employees with a global steering group and nine local hubs across five continents. It has launched a multitude of initiatives like global cross-generation mentoring and a Virtual Summit open to Zurich employees as well as anyone outside the company interested in joining. It has also formed a partnership with the Z Zurich Foundation – Zurich’s charitable arm – to support social entrepreneurs.

“We have a passion for intergenerational dialogue and connection, sharing best practices, social innovation and future-proofing our company. We feel that we are part of a cultural evolution at Zurich and can help to truly change the face of business – creating a more inclusive, in touch and sustainable business world for ourselves and future generations. It’s very exciting,” says Alena Schieber, part of the HR Junior Talent Management team in Germany and, along with Céline and Kara, one of the co-founders of NEXT.

Spread the movement

Does intrapreneurship sound like it could be for you? Some of the founding members of NEXT have created a whitepaper to capture their experiences and lessons learned – to help encourage the spread of intrapreneurship, disruption and impact in large organizations. Let’s work together to create change which is good for business – and good for the world.