Understanding Corporate Entrepreneurship and Development: A Practitioner View of Organizational Intrapreneurship

Shakers. Shakers are high profile individuals with great vision, ability and desire to take risks in order to make effective and innovative organizational changes. About 10% of an organization should be Shakers and life expectancy is 3 to 5 years. Change is "created" as a result of new ideas and innovative ideas that are risky but have clear opportunity for the future improvement and growth. Shakers' priorities are directly tied into the established mission/vision statement. Shakers work "out of the box" and oftentimes require having the reigns pulled in to structure the drive. Chaos will result if a company is run by shakers but they are necessary in order to succeed and grow. There is no thinking "inside the box"; as a matter of fact, for shakers there is no box at all and the paradigms are few and far between.

Movers. Movers are the upper management individuals that "organize" and control the ideas created by the Shakers. The organization of Shakers, sometimes radical ideas, is imperative to make them feasible and rational. Movers are more stable with the company and are considered long term employees. Change is "evaluated" and "organized" into a working set of processes and procedures while keeping sight of the mission and vision statement of the organization. About 30% of an organization should be Movers and life expectancy is approximately 5 to 10 years. Movers are the strength and practical side of the organization, with the shareholders and stakeholders in mind at all times. Long term goals are first and foremost and the mission and vision statements are kept in check with the application of existing business practices of those that they manage, as well as the ideas that are presented by the Shakers. Change is "invited" and organized into a working manner for future success and growth.

Housekeepers. Housekeepers are middle managers and staff who follow the directives set forth by the Movers or upper management. They offer ideas for process and procedure improvement but generally are the mainline company backbone responsible forgetting the job done. About 50% of an organization should be Housekeepers and life expectancy is 10 to 15 years. Change is "accepted" and the proper steps taken to enforce it might be the main task. Innovation and more radical thought processes are left up to the Shakers - who are then "prioritized" by the Movers - who then establish guidelines for Middle Managers to follow, implement, and enforce with the staff. Housekeepers are very long term employees who manage the goals and directives, keep the processes in check, and enforce established procedures in order to meet the goals and objectives set by the Movers.

Lifers. Lifers are those individuals who are complacent and generally short-term to a great degree. They follow orders but are not receptive to change, nor do they recognize the long-term goals or objectives of the organization. They are "workers" who have limited input and in fact prefer not being involved in any risk. Approximately 10% of an organization should be Lifers' life expectancy can range from 1 to 3 years. Change is "not recognized" and oftentimes considered disruptive for Lifers. Change requires a retooling of existing processes and procedures, which take more effort than they are willing to make. There is an expected turnover that exceeds all other organizational levels but this is important to have. The exit and entry of these short-term employees or "lifers" is designed to introduce new entry level employees who can offer the organization new ideas and possibly move into the Housekeeper level and then on to the Movers level with guidance and direction from the movers who act as mentors.