Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration
Major
Business Administration
Date of Defense
4-21-2022
Graduate Advisor
Dr. Bindu Arya
Committee
Dr. Joseph Rottman
Dr. Dinesh Mirchandani
Abstract
The term Intrapreneur dates to the 1980s and refers to an entrepreneurial thinking employee within an established organization who thinks across the boundaries of organization units. Due to business competition and the pace of innovation, large firms rely on intrapreneurs to lead process improvements, incremental innovations, new product development, or vertical technology development. These individuals often lead activities positioning the firm to innovate and differentiate from the business competition. Despite the need for firms to turn to the front-line intrapreneurs to reinvigorate the business, it is still unclear what separates the successful intrapreneurs from the unsuccessful. This study contributes to intrapreneurship literature by examining how individual-level behaviors impact product development success.
Our results provide convincing evidence that individual-level behaviors of intrapreneurs significantly impact product development in established firms. We have identified five behaviors that contribute to product development success and five behavior categories that led to product development failures. This research also further develops an understanding of the role of management support and personal networks impacting intrapreneurial product development success.
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Christopher, "How are Intrapreneurs Successful in Product Development? A Study of Intrapreneurs in Established Firms" (2022). Dissertations. 1153.
https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/1153