The keys that unlock entrepreneurialism in employees : … and some examples of firms that use them successfully

Purpose – This paper aims to review current information and research concerning the entrepreneurial spirit of employees. It provides a brief overview of entrepreneurial behavior, how it contributes to organizational success and what tends to motivate it. It offers suggestions for practitioners. Design/methodology/approach – It examines research and opinion for the past several years and summarizes it to help practitioners to stimulate entrepreneurial spirit in organizations. Findings – It reveals that 5-8 per cent of employees will eventually leave to set up their own business, while an equivalent percentage creates and develops products, services, cost-savings and the like to benefit the firm and does not leave the organization. Both groups share an entrepreneurial spirit and are driven to innovate and create. Practical implications – It reveals that organization managers can choose to encourage or deflate the entrepreneurial spirit through various means. Social implications – It explains that society as a whole can benefit from the labors of individuals who search for business opportunities and then work to bring them to fruition. Originality/value – It gives an overview of recent research and opinion with regard to both entrepreneurial spirit and entrepreneurial behavior that is not readily available in other sources. It provides current information that may guide practice and policy development.