Bijma, Sanne (2025) Intrapreneurship in Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises: The Manager’s Role in Stimulating Sustainable Innovation from Within. Master thesis, Sustainable Entrepreneurship (SE).
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Abstract
Intrapreneurship, defined as entrepreneurial behavior within established organizations, holds significant promise in driving sustainable innovation. While this phenomenon has been widely studied in large corporations, it remains underexplored in the context of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Given their limited resources, constrained budgets, and flat organizational structures, SMEs operate in a unique context, presenting both challenges and opportunities for intrapreneurship. This study investigates how managers in sustainability-oriented SMEs perceive and promote intrapreneurial behavior among employees as a means to foster sustainable innovation. Through twelve semi-structured interviews with SMEs across various industries, the research identified four managerial techniques that support intrapreneurship. These are (1) visual nudging to influence behavior and mindset, (2) strategic human resource management to acquire the needed skills and capabilities, (3) holacracy to empower employees through decentralized structures, and (4) knowledge sharing: internal and external. By integrating insights from the existing literature with the empirical findings of this study, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the managerial role in enabling intrapreneurship, specifically in SMEs and their organizational contexts. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Name supervisor: | Unal, A.B. |
| Date Deposited: | 16 Jul 2025 08:14 |
| Last Modified: | 16 Jul 2025 08:14 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/702 |
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