Today I participated in a workshop in Berlin where stakeholders from different sectors discussed on “social Intrapreneurship – added value for companies and society”. There are a lot of discussions ongoing – across all sectors. That’s interesting. 

What it is, what it is not, how to measure, if to measure, is it measurable at all or is measuring an idea killer? How to get buy-in and how to collaborate. Who could collaborate and cocreate with whom. Who should be the driver, who has more experience, what is greenwashing, if greenwashing can be seen even as positive, if business players are all greenwashers, if social organizations per se are better in running social activities. Communications is key again, the same wording is understood in many different  ways – depending on who is talking to whom. Is a social Intrapreneurship a SOCIAL Intrapreneur or a social INTRAPRENEUR, how much of both components should be in it? Is social Intrapreneurship a value to become more innovative?

Good discussion, but…

Well, after all -without doubt even interesting discussions – just remains a kind of delusion. My personal delusion – to be clear: Because I belief that all that does not help to encourage people and to risk to become and act as a social Intrapreneur. Again and again we feel much more comfortable to follow traditional ways before we risk. Before we act. Talking is easy. Planning is good. How? By applying traditional concepts, spending a lot of our energy to have “all papers and strategies in place” before we start, to compete with each other while introducing and citing famous personalities and recognized methodologies of the past. We want to make sure that we have thought enough before we risk. Do we need to show our intellectual capacities first? There is nothing wrong with it and planning is not bad as long as we don’t spend too much time and effort with theories. Just because of one phenomena that I have observed several times over the last years:  while talking  we tent to loose the original motivation to make change really happen and to start doing – now. 

 Sometimes, I think, talking is even an easy way to be seen as an actor but to avoid action. We don’t take any risk as long as we talk only. Could it be that we lack of courage?

Shouldn’t we encourage courage instead and act? The world needs change, not papers. 
Head is good, but not forget your heart. Let’s start, and then learn while doing.