BuSineSS exeCutive • february 11


Across the Editor’s desk Some important current management research


case for action on social and environmental issues. Social intrapreneurs seem to have an ability to find and inspire champions to raise awareness of their project and sponsors to sanction resources. There appears to be a spectrum of


corporate reactions to social intrapreneurship: hostility – active rejection; ignorance – lack of awareness; indifference; bemusement; guarded tolerance; smothering accidentally; and ideally, mature empowerment where firms understand the business case for encouraging and embracing social intrapreneurs, and do so successfully. The societal case for social intrapreneurs is derived from having more people working on solutions to the challenges of sustainable development as part of large successful corporations. Further information: info@cranfield.ac.uk


Change and SoCial intrapreneurS “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently”. This was Apple’s 1997 ‘Think Different’ ad campaign. Ongoing research at Cranfield Management School has determined that social intrapreneurs change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, Cranfields researchers see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. Change agents are always fascinating and


academic research is now developing in the field. The research has discovered that a social intrapreneur’s ‘type’ is not fixed but can evolve over time, depending on the changing character of the social intrapreneur. This includes their life


experiences, behavioural tendencies, skill sets and contact networks, as well as the context in which they work. The organisational culture, power hierarchies and resources, and the wider socio-economic and political environment are also important. There are some stable mindsets, behaviours and skills. A mindset is defined by the principles and values that shape individual decision-making. The majority of social intrapreneurs centre around societal value-creation, such as preserving the natural environment and serving others. Social intrapreneurs have overcome the traditional way of thinking either in business or in societal terms. Three behaviours were most common: persistency and self-belief, learning, and outreach. Social intrapreneurs appear skilled at working in partnership with other organisations; this can be the key to establishing credibility and gaining the expertise needed for building the business


Middle ManagerS and teaM leaderShip Continuing research from Michigan State University suggests there’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to leadership. But unfortunately a fixed notion of leadership still gets taught at all levels, to be used at all times, for all problems. There is nothing wrong with these theories, but to understand leadership in more complicated or intense situations, there is a need to understand how leadership has to change in order to fit the requirements of the situation. The research focuses on middle managers


rather than top management because the middle is where things get done. Leaders work to develop specific skill sets among their subordinates; that means being able to identify what skills people need to develop and being able to push them along. The research is based on the idea of


the research focuses on middle managers rather than top management because the middle is where things get done


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