Intrapreneurship and Innovation in Engineering Education V.Thanikachalam, B.E., M.Tech., Ph.D., M.S., FIE.,FIGS (vthani2025@gmail.com)
Intrapreneur • Coined in 1980 by Gifford Pinchot , Management Consultant • According to him: - Intrapreneurs focused on innovation and creativity -They transform an idea into profitable venture - The management has to create an environment where the employees are free to explore ideas
Faculty Intrapreneurs? • 1-2% of the well qualified faculty members in the autonomous institutes plan innovative projects and programs under external funding agencies and generate funds as entrepreneurs using the existing resources and infrastructure • Bold, creative, highly knowledgeable, risk takers and star performers • Think out of box • Divers of innovation within the institute • Seek to provide solutions to unique industry driven problems • Seek policies, technologies, and applications that resolve barriers to increase the productivity • Take on a task within the institute to increase the capacity of the institute.
Entrepreneurs • Have broad vision • Establish organizations to generate innovative products • Take risks, but within the context of the environment • Have more directly applicable skills and competencies for a selected project • Focus on the project undertaken • Select creative executives and managers • Encourage them to deliver outstanding products
Problems of Faculty Intrapreneurs • Non-focused Educational Environment • Non-delegation of required authority for project based activities • Additional works beyond the signed agreements/ contracts • Frequent change of project staff • Merging project gains into grants-in-aid • Barriers to submit the bid documents
Opportunities for Undertaking Sponsored Programs and Projects • Programs under International Development Agencies (IDAs) • Programs under various Ministries • Programs under AICTE, UGC & State Government • Programs under MNCs • Programs under public sector organizations • Programs under private sector companies
Hybrid Model: Institute supported Intrapreneurs for Innovation • Support from the Board of Governors • Strong Institute Leadership • Culture to support and reward Intrapreneurs • Support cross disciplinary and interdisciplinary teams • Nurtures the champion s for innovation and development
Ecosystem • Establish center for undertaking consultancy works and projects • Support Interdisciplinary approach connecting various needed departments • Empower senior faculty as an administrator with decentralized administration • Provide adequate resources and technical support staff
Innovation Centers • Exclusive dedicated centers which combine sponsored projects, research, product development, testing, revising, patenting, executive development, faculty development, mentoring the graduate students and developing capstone projects and practicums • Foundation for technology transfer • Develop new entrepreneurs • Incubation centers • One stop solution centers • Commercial Development • Large scale collaboration with the industries
State of the Art • Mark Gorden recommended the commercialization of university owned technology • US Senate Task Force emphasized University-Industry Partnerships through Large Scale Collaborations • IIT Chennai established an Industrial Park to promote innovation, created physical infrastructure support system for R&D, incubation of entrepreneurial ventures, commercial development and facilitating networking with professional resources • IIT Mumbai focused on the innovation and established entrepreneurship park • IIT Kharagpur established Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Park • IIT Delhi established a Foundation for innovation and technology park
Barriers to Faculty Intrapreneurs • Kezar and Lester (2009) identified the following factors: - Limited professionalism of the faculty members - Discrepancies and water tight departments - Limited training and socialization - Tenure of the faculty - Limited reward system - Bureaucratic and hierarchical administrative structures - Clash between academic and administrative structures
Guidelines for Deepening Department Collaboration • Hower A Mark (2012) suggested: - Promote a center of shared leadership and responsibility for institutional goals - Develop shared vision of the institute - Actively reduce the barriers to collaboration and integrate practices - Create professional development activities
Guidelines … • Develop institutional rewards and recognition processes that support collaborative practices • Actively seek to expand the diversity processes that support collaboration and individual practices • Reflect periodically as an institute of the systems, process and relationships of the faculty members in the projects
Focus of the Institutional Culture on Intrapreneurs (Bergquist and Pawlak, 2008) • Collegial: Developing the values and quality of character of society’s future leaders • Managerial: Commitment to serve underserved population • Developmental: Creation of programs and activities furthering the personal and professional growth • Advocacy- Establishment of equitable and egalitarian policies for the distribution of resources and benefits in the institution
Focus of the Institutional Culture… • Virtual: Values open, shared, responsive educational system - Connects to global and technological advances of recent times - Responds to the challenges facing higher education Including economic constraints and declining public supports • Tangible: Finds meaning in roots, its community and its spiritual grounding
Statewide Governing Boards (Paul Linenfelter, Richard Novak, Richard Legon , 2008)
• Built in connection with business and civic leaders to the higher education public policy dialogs • Provide permanent forum for higher education policy • Balance institutional priorities with the public good • Show willingness to help , lead and support strategic changes • Engage in system wide and statewide support for institutional planning
Leadership Challenge
(Paul Lingerfelter, Richard Novak, Richard Legon, 2008)
• Arises from uneven attraction to Board member selection process • Improve the Board capacity and performance • Select deserving executives on the basis of their understanding of institutional vision and performance • Build greater merit into the appoint process • Ensure focus on high performance • Ensure needed delegation to intraprenuers
Needed Improvements from the Board • Form a standing committee on industrial collaborations • Generate goals and objectives for consultancy projects, innovations, & sponsored projects, • Encourage to plan and implement interdisciplinary projects • Encourage internal revenue/fund generation through sponsored research and development projects • Encourage intrapreneurs • Empower them • Establish consultancy centers and extensions center in the industrial corridors • Encourage consultancy center activities
Summary • Intrapreneurs are key drivers in various institutions and can serve as excellent leaders . • They further develop the institute to reach excellence. • Institutes have to encourage and recognize successful intrapreneurs so that the institute could grow faster.
Thank you
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