You may not have heard the term ‘intrapreneurship’, but in the workforce it can be a highly valuable skill that sets you apart from the crowd. To be an intrapreneur is to have an entrepreneurial mindset as an employee within an existing organisation. This means you can act as an innovator and problem solver with new ideas, within your workplace, transforming an idea into a profitable venture for the benefit of the organisation.
The biggest challenge for intrapreneurs is dealing with the ‘corporate immune system’ – an expression referring to corporate organisational structures such as bureaucracy, hierarchy, rules etc. that do not support entrepreneurial culture and behaviour.
Although these challenges can make it difficult to thrive as an intrapreneur, there are still ways to bring this mindset into any organisation, regardless of culture and structure.
1. Understand your company and its culture
Is your organisation traditional or emerging? Consider where they are now, where they are heading, how far they’ve come already, and the openness to change within the organisation. 
2. Evolve your organisation from the inside out
Practise organisational ambidexterity by keeping your mind on the future, while perfecting your present practices.
3. Don’t be afraid to experiment
Be prepared to fail; most ideas will have a risk element. There are no guarantees of success, but if you are not experimental, you will never find anything new.
4. Build informal leadership as the resident problem solver
Become a specialist in your area and be known as a problem solver, so that people will come to you for advice and view you as a leader in your area. Ask questions often, especially ‘why?’, and offer thoughtful ideas and solutions.
Read the full article here.
This is a summary of an article originally published on USQ Social Hub by Dr Paul Newbury, Project Coordinator of the USQ Ignition Project (Dr Paul Newbury is in the pictures of this story), which focuses on providing opportunities for students to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset at USQ.