Are you ready to become enterpreneur?

Are you ready to become enterpreneur? 1366 768 Aylin Satun Olsun

*This interview was published in newspaper “Dünya” on 12 May 2016.

Businessnewsdaily.com’s rising business trends in 2016 indicate that successful small-scale firms will have close ties with the giants that create the golden standards in their sectors, through both corporate acquisition and project-based collaborative work. The result of these close collaborations is the fusion of institutional cultures; which means infiltration of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit from small to large, transformation of the way of doing business to a more dynamic structure, breaking the previously formed corporate dogmas via innovation and the foundation of various individual initiatives where risks are taken and employee’s projects are protected. While this global trend accelerates the ensuring growth of corporate intrapreneurship in technological giants such as Google, which has established the center of the initiative in its own right today, it also paves the way for teaching and spreading of intrapreneurship in various events in Turkey.
For instance, Turkey Innovation Week was held on 4-5 May in Ankara. In the event organized by the Turkish Exporters Assembly, conferences and workshops were organized for Turkish and International leading entrepreneurs to explain their innovations and to give examples of in-house initiatives. It was underlined that innovation could turn into a rapidly growing ecosystem only with the participation of young people.
In this week’s edition of the Change Fleet, we talked with General Director of ASO Company, Aylin Olsun, who’s also the organizer of the 1st Institutional Entrepreneurship and Innovation Conference that will be held on 2 June. We broadly discussed with her about questions like what is intrapreneurship and how it can be done, who are the actors of change in the world.

What is the relation between intrapreneurship and innovation? Could you tell us a few examples?

Intrapreneurship means the development and imagination of creative and innovative ideas through an entrepreneurial approach by employees in corporate companies. It combines the concept of innovation with the passing of ideas into the concept of execution.
Intrapreneurship is not a technological development, on the contrary, it emphasizes the change in the forms of cultural business. There are different shareholders within the organization; customers, suppliers, employees, non-governmental organizations… Intrapreneurship creates value for shareholders by creating alternatives for the current state in different perspectives. Innovation arouses if cooperation is built around an external and internal ecosystem.
In the past, we have either perceived the concept of innovation merely as an exceptional product development specific to the R & D departments, or limited it to taking employees’ suggestions and awarding them. Yet the concepts of entrepreneurship and innovation are now being redefined as collective ideas and, of course, passion processes, which bring together all the shareholders of the company, promote communication and establish loyalty cultures.

Which aspects of the start-up philosophy’s entrance to institutions are important?

Today, 70 percent of company employees consists of Y generation. This generation’s vision does not find working in a large corporate structure as attractive as the previous X generation. They say they will be more motivated in an environment where they can express their ideas freely, take responsibility and add new meanings to their lives. Thus, many find it more exciting to do their own work or start-up. Start-up philosophy is a very effective tool to change leadership culture and working styles in institutions. Moreover, companies that adopt these cultures are creating a more competitive and productive working environment.

How does internal innovation start, sprout and develop?

Creating the appropriate environment is important to initiate innovation. The institution should embody the spirit of entrepreneurship and mentality. When you create this culture, you change the rule of the game especially in big companies. Certain principles must be set for the transformation of culture and mental structure:

– The company’s long time vision and foresight targets must be written down, then an innovation strategy and its objectives must be set out and shared with all employees to implement it.
– A communication network that creates strong and effective internal and external connections must be established.
– A corporate organization structure that supports innovation must be created eventually.

All these steps mean that the company is going to be fundamentally different. But let’s not forget that sometimes such a total change starts with small steps. The creation of environments where ideas are gathered and evaluated will open up the atmosphere in which open communication is supported and rewarded. Successful first steps are important, every one refreshes the innovations and encourages new breakthroughs.

Which actors pioneer innovations? Who are these innovators and intrapreneurs? What are their common features?

The departments that lead to innovation can change from one institution to another. However, if you are trying to create innovation and entrepreneurship within the institution, it is important to remember that this is going to be a collective mindset. Business Development, Human Resources, IT, Marketing and Corporate Communication teams, starting from senior management in general, are the teams that should work shoulder to shoulder in these projects. Institutions are even slowly starting to form innovation units linked to the CEO. Innovation project teams need different backgrounds, competencies and personalities. There are different traits that also seen as a big plus for the members of this team, who believe in the shared mentality and a common mind, such as: Thinking multi-dimensional, looking at events in different ways, loving to take risks, being open to changes and adapting to uncertain environments.

What should a manager follow in order to innovate in his own department or in his own company?

First of all, a company must have a strategy of innovation with its related objectives, and the entire management team must agree it. The process of making this strategy known by everyone in the company is even more important. After entering the institution’s strategic priorities, we need to create entrepreneurial cultures within the company in order to put this strategy into practice. At this point, it is necessary to prepare the space, process and environment that will enable all departments to work in cooperation with human resources, internal and corporate communication, business development, strategy, IT and marketing. Even if the process of innovation is to be modeled only on a sectional basis, culture change is inevitable. Therefore, it is necessary for the manager to provide an environment to support transparency, cooperation and open communication.

What role does the company’s structure and culture play in the innovation process? Can an innovation method that fits every corporate culture be developed?

Nowadays, “change” is an everlasting cycle in companies. Institutions constantly have to change and defeat themselves. With the 4th Industrial Revolution, the change in organizational structure and human resources has accelerated much more. Each institution’s response to innovation and speed of implementation is of course different, but the important thing is the leader of the institution’s desire to start, vision and motivation. According to institutional expectations, the speed and scope of innovation practices within the organization are of course adjusted. In general, projects can be initiated on a specific topic and then spread throughout the organization.

At the beginning of June, you will host the first Intrapreneurship and Innovation Conference. What will be the headlines of this conference?

This conference will present an opportunity to listen to the innovation and entrepreneurship practices of the corporate companies in ATÖLYE (Workshop), where has become a special place for creating common reason. It also will become a platform that brings together the start-ups, the universities and the companies that want to make projects in this regard.
Interesting speaker profiles will focus on corporate entrepreneurship and innovation in the direction of their know-how, expertise and experience.

For more information, you can visit:
www.kurumicigirisimcilikconference.com

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