A fundamental trend, intrapreneurship allows employees to bring to fruition innovative projects that they hold dear, and to grow within their company. And it works! There are many success stories, and an increasing number of companies have understood that allowing their employees to create is one of the keys to fulfilment, all while generating business opportunities. So, why not you?
An attractive concept...
Over these last few years, intrapreneurship has boomed in France. An increasing number of companies are giving pride of place to open innovation and striving to help their employees unearth their talents, as is being done by PNB Paribas and Danone, to name a few. Of course, this is also the case at ENGIE, where “for over 35 years we have been giving a voice to our in-house innovators through, in particular, the Innovation Trophies, explains Florence Cariou, Innovation Projects Director. In 2014, we even created a dedicated innovation hub, the ENGIE New Business Factory, and we are investing both time and money on high-potential industrial projects.”
Among the large groups in France, the number of projects dedicated to innovation – labs, accelerators, contests, etc. – have grown by a factor of 5 since 2015! The concept is undeniably attractive for at least two reasons. First, intrapreneurship allows a company to identify new market opportunities and growth drivers, while developing an internal innovation culture – and all this thanks to employee initiative. Second, and above all, this phenomenon is in line with the expectations of the employee of today: millennials and a large number of employees in general are looking for greater independence, coupled with a desire for “meaningful work”, and seeking purpose. Therefore, it is not by chance that numerous intrapreneurial projects are tied to a social or environmental vocation!
… that works!
At ENGIE, the policy is to promote these types of projects. “It is with strong conviction that we have decided to shift our focus on meaningful intrapreneurship and to actively support projects that have a positive impact on the planet, with an open and communal approach, states Valérie Gaudart, Director of Culture and Communities. As such, we are working alongside other companies that share our values, such as BNP Paribas and Danone, with whom we have created the “Intrapreneur for Good” coalition, which trains and inspires intrapreneurs”.