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"INTRAPRENEURSHIP" 

 

Small is beautiful, thin is in, and middle age spread is the 

enemy. We are not talking physical fitness here, we're talking 

business fitness. How can big business harness the creativity and 

productivity normally associated with entrepreneurial success? 

If you think it can't be done, think again. According to a report put out by Chicago-based Ameritch, shareholders were told: "Intrapreneurs added $2 million to Ohio Bell net income." 

In a company report to stockholders, Dow Chemical Co.'s Frank P. Popoff said management's job "is to liberate people to think more entrepreurially within an organization." 

A company has to do more than put out the old-fashionned suggestion box. The stakes are higher and the rewards greater in today's global markets. 

Ohio Bell defines intrapreneurs as employees whose ideas develop new lines of business, bring in new revenues, and reduce expenses. 

Terry Niese, Vice President of Human Resources at Swift-Eckrich, Inc., Chicago, which manufactures hundreds of meat products, says that each product they manufacture is its own division with its own product manager who is head of his team and has the authority to make suggestions for improvements to products and marketing. 

Bernard Johnston, Director of Industrial Relations at DuKane Corporation, communications equipment manufacturer, says the word "intrapreneurship" may be new, but it is what DuKane does all the time. "Just call it participatory management - this is the 1980's, you know. Johnston thinks that a company has to try 

new techniques to encourage employee's input. DuKane has a "quality circle" program where everyone in a department discusses 

problems and solutions . Company management encourages an open 

door policy. The Direct Line is something like the old-fashioned bulletin board. An employee can submit any idea or question any company policy and receive an immediate and forthright answer, with anonymity always preserved. DuKane sets goals, gives frequent employee appraisals, and rewards merit  

frequently.