A new report, titled "The Social Intrapreneurs: A Field Guide for Corporate Changemakers", examines how company leaders and employees can drive global change from within a company. Published in partnership with the corporate responsibility consultants SustainAbility, The Skoll Foundation and IDEO, the report presents a field guide to the world of social intrapreneurship, the challenges and opportunities of change, and draws on in-depth research undertaken by SustainAbility in twenty leading global corporations.
The field guide spotlights this new, as yet undiscovered, breed of social entrepreneur within big business – social intrapreneurs. They often work against the corporate status quo to deliver new market solutions, aligning business value with sustainability challenges society faces today.
Ford, BP, Microsoft, Nike and Coca Cola are among the companies profiled. Case studies include:
Make change from where you are
- Unilever’s Shakti initiative to bring entrepreneurial skills to women in rural India
- Cemex’s Patrimonio Hoy project to enable home ownership amongst Mexico’s poor
- Microsoft’s Unlimited Potential strategy to build digital inclusion in emerging markets
- Nike’s Native American Business, which leverages the Nike brand to improve Native Americans health.
The report assesses different corporate approaches to project delivery – from arm’s-length development to full integration into core business. It also analyzes the insider-outsider mindset as well as the hybrid skills that enable intrapreneurial success.
Social innovation important to Allianz
Allianz CFO Paul Achleitner emphasizes, "Social innovation is core to our business as we help over 80 million customers plan for a more secure future. Supporting social intrapreneurs at Allianz in this effort is key to our future competitiveness."
SustainAbility co-founder John Elkington: "It’s 'early days', but social intrapreneurs are already making a difference. They are willing and able to take risks, including moving across and between organizations and sectors to reach the place where they can realize their vision. The intrapreneurs and their wide ranging projects provide an important indication of how future business models and leadership styles are likely to evolve to meet the world’s sustainability challenges."
About the report
"The Social Intrapreneur: A Field Guide for Corporate Changemakers" is the second in a series of reports produced by SustainAbility in partnership with The Skoll Foundation. The first report "Growing Opportunity: Entrepreneurial Solutions to Insoluble Problems" provided a survey and analysis of trends in social entrepreneurship. The third and final report (due for publication in 2008/09) will appraise opportunities for partnership between social entrepreneurs and corporate intrapreneurs.
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