The intrapreneur: A distinct and valuable role to be institutionalized and strategically managed

Intrapreneurship denotes entrepreneurial work performed by employees, i.e. employees’ leading development of new activities for the employer, such as developing or launching new goods or services, or setting up a new business unit, a new establishment or subsidiary. The intrapreneur is the role performing and leading, rather than merely supporting, the development of new activities. Our analyses based on Global Entrepreneurship Monitoring data show that 19% of employees had been leading entrepreneurial work during the latest three years. Most were leading in the idea-generation-phase as well as the implementation-phase. Female employees are more likely than male employees to be intrapreneurs rather than routinely working employees. Educated employees are much more likely than less educated employees to be intrapreneurs. Intrapreneurs have much higher income than routinely working employees. Intrapreneurs more frequently than routine employees are self-efficacious, opportunity-perceiving, risk-willing and role-modeling starters, have meaningful and autonomous jobs, and are satisfied with their jobs and salary, but also experience more stress in work; and in these job-characteristics intrapreneurs are distinct from routine employees and somewhat similar to entrepreneurs. Thereby intrapreneurs are a human resource that by developing new activities for their employer and also by creating new jobs is very valuable. – The rate of intrapreneurship among employees is higher in Denmark than in almost all other countries; only one surveyed country has a higher rate, Sweden. But in Denmark the role is transient, more transient than in Sweden and almost all other surveyed countries. This indicates that the role is less institutionalized in Denmark than in other countries. Therefore it will likely be valuable, especially in Denmark, to adopt strategies for institutionalization and management of this human resource.