How organizational conditions affect employees’ intentions to engage in intrapreneurial new venturing

Abstract

Many businesses are finding it difficult to strengthen employees' intentions to engage in intrapreneurial new venturing. In this study, we investigate the organizational conditions that are conducive to the formation of such intentions, specifically employees' intentions to initiate the development of new products or services in their host corporation. The results from a survey of 3492 employees of Swedish companies, including small, medium-sized, and large firms, reveal that recognizing and rewarding personal achievements, maintaining a risk-taking organizational culture, and top management support are all associated with stronger employee intentions to engage in intrapreneurial new venturing. There is weaker support for the predicted positive effect of personal independence and the presence of intrapreneurial role models. Time availability appears to have an inverted u-shaped relationship to employees’ intentions to engage in intrapreneurial new venturing. Overall, the findings support the idea that organizations can be purposefully designed for strengthening intrapreneurial new venturing among their employees.