Intrapreneurship : outside the project box and into the unknown

Purpose: This study aims to illustrate the current understanding of the concept of intrapreneurship by comparing it with that of a traditional project. Design/methodology/approach: A meta-model was used to demonstrate how the two concepts overlap and what differences exist. Furthermore, a case study was conducted with an IT service provider from the banking sector in which 12 qualitative interviews with intrapreneurs were held and used to summarize the differences between projects and intrapreneurship initiatives from the intrapreneurs’ point of view. Findings: This study identified two major differences: First, unlike in projects, the client has no clear objective in intrapreneurship; rather, only the sponsors maintain a general goal. Second, intrapreneurship allows for circumventing constraints and thus for working with more freedom and the possibility of failure. Originality/value: This study used an explanatory model to summarize differences and clarify the concept of intrapreneurship.