INSIGHTS FOR INTERNAL ENTREPRENEURS AND ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERS
___________________________________________________________________________________
Corporate Entrepreneurs – July 24, 2010
Internal Entrepreneurs – No Gender Bias
By Susan Foley
In every organization, it is the senior leadership team that establishes the strategies, structures, policies, and
goals that drive the organization - a senior leadership team that is predominately men. They set the norms for
what is valued and rewarded. They set the agenda for change. They define the competencies that are required
for success. It is their perspective, a male perspective that favors men to the inherent disadvantage of women.
Not so fast.
Although men may still outnumber women at the top of most organizations that doesn’t say there isn't equal
opportunity for women. Our research has shown that there is no gender bias when it comes to internal
entrepreneurs inside of organizations. The role does not favor one gender over the other. Internal
entrepreneurs possess characteristics, skills, behaviors and competencies that are a mix of those attributed to
both men and women.
The women and men that participated in our research had the same depth of competency across the key
competencies and behaviors required for success. They exhibited superior performance across a wide
spectrum of entrepreneurial capabilities. This creates a level playing field when it comes to building new
growth businesses. This is great news for organizations.
The leadership challenges facing organizations today are more complex, full of ambiguity and uncertainty. They
require a unique combination of capabilities. Internal entrepreneurs possess the competencies and behaviors
that enable them to deal effectively with these challenges. The fact that both men and women possess these
competencies widens the pool of available talent. It provides equal opportunity for men and women to step
into this role.
This is especially important when you think about the statement that “the most sought after professional for the
21st century economy will be a breed of corporate entrepreneur, or Intrapreneur,” which was published in the
article, The Age of Entrepreneurial Tolerance.
The shortage of entrepreneurial talent in most organizations and the lack of capabilities to deal with a rapidly
changing business environment make finding these individuals more important than ever. The future growth of
many organizations may depend on their ability to identify, develop and retain their internal entrepreneurs.
If you thought for a minute that women were still at a disadvantage, think again.
Susan Foley is the founder of Corporate Entrepreneurs LLC and the author of the book, Entrepreneurs Inside:
Accelerating Business Growth with Corporate Entrepreneurs. www.corporate-entrepreneurs.com
Internal Entrepreneurs – No Gender Bias
By Susan Foley
In every organization, it is the senior leadership team that establishes the strategies, structures, policies, and
goals that drive the organization - a senior leadership team that is predominately men. They set the norms for
what is valued and rewarded. They set the agenda for change. They define the competencies that are required
for success. It is their perspective, a male perspective that favors men to the inherent disadvantage of women.
Not so fast.
Although men may still outnumber women at the top of most organizations that doesn’t say there isn't equal
opportunity for women. Our research has shown that there is no gender bias when it comes to internal
entrepreneurs inside of organizations. The role does not favor one gender over the other. Internal
entrepreneurs possess characteristics, skills, behaviors and competencies that are a mix of those attributed to
both men and women.
The women and men that participated in our research had the same depth of competency across the key
competencies and behaviors required for success. They exhibited superior performance across a wide
spectrum of entrepreneurial capabilities. This creates a level playing field when it comes to building new
growth businesses. This is great news for organizations.
The leadership challenges facing organizations today are more complex, full of ambiguity and uncertainty. They
require a unique combination of capabilities. Internal entrepreneurs possess the competencies and behaviors
that enable them to deal effectively with these challenges. The fact that both men and women possess these
competencies widens the pool of available talent. It provides equal opportunity for men and women to step
into this role.
This is especially important when you think about the statement that “the most sought after professional for the
21st century economy will be a breed of corporate entrepreneur, or Intrapreneur,” which was published in the
article, The Age of Entrepreneurial Tolerance.
The shortage of entrepreneurial talent in most organizations and the lack of capabilities to deal with a rapidly
changing business environment make finding these individuals more important than ever. The future growth of
many organizations may depend on their ability to identify, develop and retain their internal entrepreneurs.
If you thought for a minute that women were still at a disadvantage, think again.
Susan Foley is the founder of Corporate Entrepreneurs LLC and the author of the book, Entrepreneurs Inside:
Accelerating Business Growth with Corporate Entrepreneurs. www.corporate-entrepreneurs.com
Activating Entrepreneurs from Within
www.corporate-entrepreneurs.com