Identification of Corporate Intrapreneurial Characteristics among Middle Managers at Sasol Fertilizers

Abstract

In an environment with continuous technological change, it is necessary to also adapt the management style of a business. Old set ways of management must be replaced by a new type of participative management style or intrapreneurship. In any business intrapreneurs should be appointed to join the workforce. To use these so called intrapeneurs in management positions, they should firstly be identified. lntrapreneurs have certain qualities and characteristics that can be used to the advantage of the business. A workable method must be found to identify those qualities and characteristics. Middle managers should ideally have these intrapeneurial qualities and characteristics at their disposal. The middle manager also has the potential to be the future leader of the organisation where he is employed . To identify the required qualities and characteristics, a study must be done on the nature of the characteristics and qualities of the intrapreneur. Theoretically speaking, intrapreneurs have the same qualities as entrepreneurs - the only difference is the corporate working enviroment. lntrapreneurs are committed to an organisation or business, whereas entrepreneurs are independent from an employer and self-supporting. Qualities that the employee has, according to the Thomas International personal profile analyses, can be used as guideline in the process of identifying the intrapreneur. Qualities of the respondents in this study are compared with theoretical definitions, and that gives rise to the identifying of intrapreneurs. Various other methods that are being used in the corporate world, are not always adequate for this purpose. The best definition to identify qualitities in intrapreneurs is by the Thomas International personal profile analyses. Qualities such as energy, self motivation, independence, competitiveness , ambition , optimism, enthusiasm are keywords that describe the intrapreneur. In this study, the said qualities and characteristics that correspond with the definitions by various authors, are identified. lntrapreneurs should be employed in middle management positions to insure that there is someone to take the leadership in a fast changing environment. lntrapreneurs, just like entrepreneurs, are continuously engaged in innovation, in the building and direction of survival and maintaining of the competitive edge, requires inputs from leaders, and these leaders can only be intrapreneurs. lntrapreneurs also make use of networks, specifically their skills to work with people, to achieve their goals. lntrapreneurs belief in investing in people - people are a company's biggest asset. And more so when the company needs the intrapreneural skills to keep their position in the fast changing market.