Cambridge, Massachusetts—How do “intrapreneurial” people innovate from within to transform their organizations? On November 15, 2024, Matthew Lee of Harvard Kennedy School hosted a Social Intrapreneurship Symposium at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, co-sponsored by the Center for Public Leadership and the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government.

The day-long event brought together 20 academics and practitioners to discuss advancements in the research and teaching of corporate social intrapreneurship (CSI) and collaboration across sectors. The growing area of study focuses on employee and organizational dynamics in adopting new practices and strategies, the mechanics of innovation, and how “intrapreneurial” individuals transform organizational practices and scale changes effectively beyond their starting points.

The symposium featured a series of sessions ranging from assessing the state of current CSI research to exploring ideas for its future. Discussions emphasized integrating CSI into business school curricula and fostering collaborations between academics, practitioners, and corporations. Participants shared insights into how intrapreneurs can overcome organizational resistance, scale innovations, and drive meaningful change.

Speakers included Dr. Jerry Davis, author of “Changing Your Company from the Inside Out,” and Dr. Elisa Alt, an expert in entrepreneurial change within organizations. The event also provided a platform for emerging scholars.

“Social intrapreneurship is an essential ingredient for the transformation of our largest and most important organizations across sectors,” Lee said. “Scholars have unique opportunities, through research, teaching, and other forms of engagement, to empower current and future employees of these organizations to lead meaningful and impactful change inside their organizations.”

Attendees identified key priorities for advancing CSI, including developing frameworks to measure its impact, exploring its role in addressing global crises, and prioritizing new avenues for research. Working groups were formed to explore continued engagement around collaborative research, educational programming, and future partnerships.

The symposium aided networking, connecting participants with local intrapreneurs and ecosystem builders to strengthen ties between academia and industry. By fostering dialogue and collaboration, the event underscored the Bloomberg Center for Cities’ role as a convener and hub for scholarly exchange, and CSI’s potential to reshape global business practices through innovation and social responsibility.

Symposium Participants

1. Elisa Alt – Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Entrepreneurship at King’s Business School, King’s College London
2. Michael L. Barnett – Professor of Management & Global Business at Rutgers Business School – Newark & New Brunswick
3. Forrest Briscoe – Professor of Organizational Behavior at the ILR School, Cornell University
4. Jerry Davis – Gilbert and Ruth Whitaker Professor of Business Administration and Professor of Management and Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business
5. Karolin Frankenberger – Full Professor in Strategy and Innovation at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland
6. Nishi Gautam – Doctoral Candidate at the College of Management, University of Massachusetts, Boston
7. Katrin Heucher – Assistant Professor of Change Management and Sustainability at the Department of Innovation Management and Strategy, University of Groningen, Netherlands
8. Raquel Kessinger – Assistant Professor at Boston College, Carroll School of Management
9. Nancy McGaw – Senior Advisor at the Aspen Institute Business & Society Program
10. Sara Soderstrom – Associate Professor in Organizational Studies & Program in the Environment at the University of Michigan
11. Heiko Spitzeck – Professor at Fundação Dom Cabral, Brazil, and Director of the Sustainability Management Research Center
12. Juliana Travassos – PhD Candidate at King’s College London and Associate at Fundação Dom Cabral
13. Chris White – Faculty Associate at the Center for Positive Organizations and Adjunct Faculty in Management & Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business
14. Matthew Lee – Associate Professor of Public Policy and Management at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government
15. Jane Nelson – Director of the Corporate Responsibility Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School
16. Julie Battilana – Joseph C. Wilson Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and Alan L. Gleitsman Professor of Social Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School
17. Jane Hoffman – Mossavar-Rahmani Research Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School
18. Lingling Jiang – Organizer of the Harvard Social Intrapreneurship Symposium
19. Leszek Krol – Research Manager at the Social Innovation and Change Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School
20. Irum Malik – Research Assistant at the Corporate Responsibility Initiative (CRI), Harvard Kennedy School