Corporate Entrepreneurship
Uncover Your Creative Side

WORDS: ELEANOR FITZSIMONS

Many companies extol the virtues of creativity, waxing lyrical of their fondness for fostering an open culture that encourages employees to think beyond the confines of their job description and add value to the organisation. This makes perfect business sense. Yet how often is mere lip service paid to the importance of recognising and supporting entrepreneurial individuals within a larger organisation? Do large organisations by their very structured and bureaucratic nature stifle creative urges? Is the notion of Corporate Entrepreneurship an Oxymoron?

Undoubtedly there are organisations that don't operate a corporate culture conducive to entrepreneurship. Some may actually inhibit the behaviour of potentially entrepreneurial employees by implementing closed, hierarchical policies and procedures that stifle rather than encourage entrepreneurial traits. As a result, entrepreneurial employees often feel that they have no choice but to leave and pursue their own ventures, perhaps even in competition with their original employer.

There exist also enlightened organisations that genuinely harness the benefits of encouraging employees at all levels to contribute innovative ideas for the good of the whole. It is increasingly evident that leaders of successful and proactive companies such as Microsoft and Accenture recognise that encouraging employees to exhibit entrepreneurial behaviour and nurturing this behaviour can make an extremely valuable contribution to the success of the corporation.

Corporate Entrepreneurship appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of WMB.