Management Innovation 12 - Entrepreneurship in Organizations

PRESCRIBED LEARNING OUTCOMES

It is expected that students will:

• evaluate the readiness of corporate cultures to accommodate intrapreneurial activity
• outline the skills and attributes needed by individuals to manage and respond to change in the workplace
• analyse models that show how organizations introduce innovative activity in response to challenges and change, including venture teams, outsourcing, and re-engineering
• apply intrapreneurial principles to address business challenges
• evaluate the contribution of intrapreneurial activity to corporate cultures, and its impact on the well being of workers
• describe the entrepreneurial spirit currently found in existing organizations

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have student groups act as consultants and perform in-depth analyses of a local organization. Ask them to:
  • use an appropriate evaluation tool to research and describe the behaviours commonly associated with entrepreneurial spirit
  • identify the level of entrepreneurial readiness in the current management model of the organization
  • identify a customer need or want that is not satisfied
  • determine what, if any, factors are inhibiting the organization from responding to this opportunity
  • recommend modifications to the organization that will enable it to respond
  Have groups present their findings to the organization and to the class.
• In teams, ask students to write plans or proposals to change the way a local organization carries out an activity. Then ask them to present their plans to the local organization. If possible, have students follow up to see if the suggested changes were implemented and had the desired effect. As a class, discuss students' application of intrapreneurial principles in researching the organization's challenges and in proposing solutions.
• Have students use available research tools to investigate intrapreneurial activities within organizations. For example, ask students to report on the impact of modified management structures (e.g., non-hierarchical structure, matrix, venture teams, outsourcing, and contract employment) on corporate culture.
• Ask students to define objective criteria for evaluating the leadership, communication, and co-operation skills of individuals on a team and to discuss their validity in class. Encourage student teams to regularly evaluate how well they meet the criteria.

SUGGESTED ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES

• As students present their analyses of a local organization and recommend modifications, note the extent to which they:
  • describe the current management model
  • recognize opportunities presented by customer needs or wants that are not satisfied
  • identify issues (e.g., employee dissatisfaction) that impede the organization's ability to respond to opportunities
  • suggest ways to take advantage of the opportunities
  • develop feasible plans to address the issues and realize the opportunities
  • assess the organization's readiness to adopt the plans based on its corporate culture
• Ask the class to brainstorm strategies that managers could use to effectively deal with change in the workplace. Prompt them with questions such as:
  • What do members of the organization need to know about the changes?
  • How can managers encourage individuals to participate and contribute to these changes?
  • What concerns do members of the organization have when they are confronted with changes?
  Note the extent to which students recognize the importance of and identify strategies to ensure:
  • clear and valid communication
  • internal flexibility
  • employee commitment to organizational goals
  • a supportive and non-threatening climate
• Review students' reports about the use of modified management structures and look for evidence that they:
  • justify the need for modified management
  • recognize the advantages and disadvantages of the modified management structure for the organization and its workers
  • provide examples to support their findings

• Canadian Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management, Third Edition
• Working in Teams: Interaction and Communication

• Change: Making it Work for You
• Ideas Into Action
• Team Working

• Fundamentals of Management: Essential Concepts and Applications, Canadian Edition

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