Management is the noblest of professions only if it’s practiced well. There are deep rewards in building up people and businesses. I identify myself as a social intrapreneur based on the behavior traits and initiatives displayed. What I lack is the endurance to iterate and scale an impact model. I was a useful professional at what I do, and was able to contribute decently, but not the man who carried the team. That changed in Rajasthan as I explored potential inside me and gradually a spark to siege the initiative.
Leadership at the top levels of not-for-profit organizations tends to steer towards monopolization and loyalty culture. And the time of the leaders is mostly consumed in raising funds rather than building robust programs. That is why leaders always try to handhold individuals who demonstrate an 'entrepreneurial mindset'. The answer to this particular problem is quite clear - to create intrapreneurs. This scenario gives ample place to managers who can manage as well as build the program.
Very simply put, individuals who display self-awareness, innovate within an organization, and take the initiative to solve a particular problem are termed social intrapreneurs. They can be termed as change agents who use existing infrastructures and organizational capabilities as levers to deliver social value on a large scale.
Traits of Social Intraprenuer
1. Social intrapreneurs tend to lead with facts and data when they communicate. They are more business-oriented when dealing with others. They maintain a loose affiliation with the organization and often raise their voice when trying to make a point.
2. Social intrapreneurs are avid learners. They are eager to explore new opportunities and try new things. They struggle with issues to stay focused in their initial years and& are not always effective in managing their time.
3. Social intrapreneurs possess an ability to pivot at the right time and adapt to a changed market situation.
Evolution Path
Rather than rewards and punishments, influencing social intrapreneurs requires more elaborate strategies. For a budding intrapreneur to be molded with instructions from superiors, it requires providing information and arguments in support of such requests. The journey of a social intrapreneur can be mapped in these five phases:
- Domain Generic Activity: Productivity enhancement and System establishment
- Technical competency development and Building networks of similar-minded
- New Project under portfolio through a pilot-scale program
- Effectively leveraging partnerships and scaling up the program and
- Building a team and mentoring the next generation
An organization should think over innovations that solve a problem, simplify service, and reduce costs. And if there is an inability to integrate them into the existing portfolio a social intrapreneur can create a separate program that has a real chance to capture the imagination of the people.
Nudge the organization towards a personal vision
Successful adaptation of entrepreneurial attitudes and strategies inside of a non-profit/ profit organization is a tough task due to their bureaucratic structures. Also, organizations are biased for action hence time and attention of the top management tend to be more limited, and decisions are made quickly.
To tackle this problem, social intrapreneur uses a hybrid model of assertiveness in pitch and, creating a business case with shreds of evidence. A lot depends on the culture of the organization rather than business models, and strategies. Hence, a social intrapreneur invests time in dialogue with the stakeholders. It requires patience to build a case as stakeholder consultation on disruptive changes means iteration with the original idea. Pushing a big idea is a rather complex and delicate process and it doesn’t happen by just sharing a presentation. The cultural understanding helps in aligning personal vision with the voice of advocates of systems change.
This is followed by the creation of concept notes, financial implications, targeted donors, and refining the same presentation several times, before rolling it out in public. Yet a new program can have transformative effects positive and negative and can bounce in unexpected directions. The journey to positively impact the lives of fellow humans is more rewarding than financial rewards, the promise of daily joy, or intellectual adventure.
