Fairchild Semiconductor’s 10 ways to identify “intrapreneurs”
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/14754390680000933 |
| Published date | 01 November 2006 |
| Pages | 10-11 |
| Date | 01 November 2006 |
| Author | Steven Willison |
| Subject Matter | HR & organizational behaviour |
10 Volume 6 Issue 1 Novermber/December 2006
HR at WORK
,
Short case studies that demonstrate best practice in HR
Fairchild Semiconductor’s 10
ways to identify “intrapreneurs”
I
n today’s fast-paced industrial age,
it’s important for employers to
constantly find new ways to improve
their bottom line, meet customer
demands and increase value to their
shareholders. To achieve this success,
companies need to generate fresh and
innovative ideas.
For example, Fairchild
Semiconductor International uses its
Patent Awards, Author Awards, Key
Technologist Program and site
Improvement Awards to ensure its
place among the top competitors in the
world.
One way in which companies can set
the foundation for innovation is to
focus on the high-potential, innovative
employees they already have. These
employees may be the “out-of-the-
box” type or an employee who has a
new way of viewing an antiquated
process. Either way, a system must be in
place to identify and encourage these
employees and solicit their ideas.
Although the word “intrapreneur” may
seem like a typo, it’s a very real concept
in today’s organizations. Intrapreneurs
identify and develop new business
ideas and then cultivate them for their
company’s benefit. A classic example of
an intrapreneur was when an employee
from technology company 3M
Corporation, came up with the idea for
Post it Note.TM More than 32 years later,
Post it Notes continue to be one of
3M’s top-grossing products.
Identifying your intrapreneurs
Like other personality types,
intrapreneurs share similar qualities.
For example, they tend to be highly
motivated. They can work on their own
with minimal supervision. They’re
highly creative, dedicated, dependable,
willing to jump into situations to get
the work done. They continually
overcome obstacles and look for new
challenges. Finally, they’re the
employees who are always looking to
better themselves by learning from
others.The following list will help you
make the most of your creative
employees.
1. Encourage innovation
After reading the above characteristics,
you should be able to link some
employee names to each one. These are
the employees that, with appropriate
attention and encouragement, will give
your company a competitive
advantage.
2. Provide an open-door policy
To encourage intrapreneurs, employers
need to have a concise plan and process
in place that allows ideas to be heard.
Fairchild facilitates its intrapreneurial
employees by offering an open-door
policy with management staff, as well
as allowing those employees the
opportunity to work on their ideas
during normal work hours.
3. Communicate clearly
Initially, you need to communicate the
company’s strategic plan and vision to
employees. Some companies allow their
employees to spend up to 15 percent of
their work time on new ideas. This is a
guaranteed way to send a message that
you encourage and support
intrapreneurial employees. You’ll find
this rule makes many of your
employees much more productive.
People will work harder on things that
they want to bring to fruition and
things that they enjoy doing.
4. Obtain good research
Once you receive a suggestion that
might be viable, ask the employee to
fully research the idea. Next, have the
employee put it all on paper, clearly
stating the goal, the steps needed to
achieve the goal and the approximate
timeline for seeing the idea reach its
Fairchild Semiconductor is a global leader
in producing high-performance
semiconductors to the
telecommunications, consumer,industrial,
personal computer,digital video and
automotive industries. The company
employs 9,000 people worldwide.
FAIRCHILD SEMICONDUCTOR
Steven Willison, senior HR associate at Fairchild Semiconductor International, provides 10 tips for making the
most of your company’s talent, suggesting useful ways to nurture those ideas into fruition.
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