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Available	online	at:	https://researchsynergy.org/ijmesh/	
International	Journal	of	Management,	Entrepreneurship,	Social	Science	and	Humanities	(IJMESH)	

ISSN	2580-0981	(online)	
Volume	4	Number	2	(2021):	28-51	

 

Corresponding	author	
sadderley@brookes.ac.uk 
DOI:	https://doi.org/10.31098/ijmesh.v4i2.569	 	 Research	Synergy	Foundation 

Missing	out	on	the	“Men’s	Club”:	Gendered	Attitudes	to	Intrapreneurship	
within	Large	Corporations	

	
Philip	Meier1,	Simon	Adderley2	

1,	2	Oxford	Brookes	University,	United	Kingdom	
	

	
Abstract	

This	paper	explores	the	factors	that	influence	innovative	and	intrapreneurial	behaviour	amongst	
female	employees.	The	paper	explores	a	case	study	of	one	business	unit	(of	approximately	1,100	
employees)	within	a	much	larger	corporation.		It	uses	a	qualitative	methodology	of	semi-structured	
interviews	 to	 explore	 (1)	 the	 factors	 that	 influence	 innovative	 and	 intrapreneurial	 behaviour	
amongst	female	employees	and	(2)	how	these	factors	are	influenced	by	the	organisation.		The	paper	
is	 part	 of	 an	 emerging	 research	 agenda	 that	 explores	 gendered	 attitudes	 to	 intrapreneurial	
behaviour.		This	is	an	extremely	under-researched	area	of	research	which	tends	to	borrow	heavily	
from	studies	into	female	self-employment.		The	paper	demonstrates	that	rather	than	focus	upon	
female	attitudes	to	risk	or	lifestyle	choices,	the	primary	issue	facing	potential	female	intrapreneurs	
is	implicit	and	explicit	gatekeeping	by	male-dominated	"innovation	teams".	
	
Keywords:	Influence;	Innovative;	Intrapreneurial;	Behaviour;	Female;	Employees.	

	
	
						This	is	an	open	access	article	under	the	CC-BY-NC	license. 

	
INTRODUCTION	
There	is	broad	consensus	that	discontinuous	innovations	(Macher	and	Richman,	2004)	or	disruptive	
new	technologies	(Christensen,	1997)	force	organizations	to	adopt	or	change	existing	methods	and	
processes	(Sinha	and	Srivastava,	2013;	Gawke	et	al.,	2017;	Casson	2008;	Nelson	and	Winter,	1982).	
Corporations	can	only	survive	today’s	faster	innovation	cycles	by	becoming	more	innovative	(Anthony	
et	al.,	2018)	and	adopting	a	more	entrepreneurial	culture	and	strategy	(Bettis	and	Hitt,	1995;	Zahra,	
1991).	Paradoxically,	whilst	executives	consider	innovation	to	be	one	of	the	top	three	areas	for	future	
economic	growth,	they	tend	not	to	rate	their	organisations'	innovativeness	very	highly	(Barsh	et	al.,	
2008).	As	a	result,	research	into	how	to	better	exploit	intrapreneurial	activity	leading	to	innovative	
outcomes	is	a	significant	area	of	academic	interest	(Casson,	2008).		
	
However,	 the	 focus	upon	organisational	 capabilities	has	meant	 limited	 research	has	 taken	place	
exploring	innovation	at	the	individual	level	(Blanka,	2018;	Gawke	et	al.,	2019).		As	a	result,	there	are	
crucial	gaps	in	our	understanding	of	the	activities	of	actors	within	organizations	(Casson,	2008;	Wales,	
2016).	 Existing	 research	 is	 limited	 in	 scope,	 lacks	 validation,	 and	 does	 not	 link	 to	 firm-level	
perspectives	 (Blanka,	 2018;	 De	 Jong	 et	 al.,	 2015;	 Gawke	 et	 al.,	 2019).	 Moreover,	 research	 into	
organizational	innovation	tends	to	focus	on	single	innovations,	does	not	capture	interrelatedness	or	
account	for	different	diffusion	pathways	(Rogers,	2003),	and	has	created	a	gap	between	theorists	and	
applied	research	(Casson,	2005).			These	failings	are	especially	true	with	regards	to	gendered	notions	
of	intrapreneurship,	with	remarkably	little	research	currently	exploring	the	gender	gap	in	internal	
entrepreneurship	(see	Adachi	and	Hisada,	2017	for	a	notable	exception)	
	



International	Journal	of	Management,	Entrepreneurship,	Social	Science	and	Humanities	(IJMESH),	Vol.	4	(2),	28-51	
Missing	out	on	the	“Men’s	Club”:	Gendered	Attitudes	to	Intrapreneurship	within	Large	Corporations	

Philip	Meier,	Simon	Adderley	

 

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This	 research	 aims	 to	 start	 filling	 these	 gaps	 through	 a	 case	 study	 approach	 that	 explores	 the	
implementation	 of	 a	 larger	 innovation	 project	 within	 a	 large	 European	 company.	 	 The	 research	
explores	 (1)	 the	 factors	 that	 influence	 innovative	and	 intrapreneurial	behaviour	amongst	 female	
employees	and	(2)	how	these	factors	are	influenced	by	the	organisation.	It	follows	the	classical	notion	
that	the	individual	can	only	be	properly	understood	in	her/his	social	context	and	vice	versa	(Wright	
Mills,	1959).	
	
The	 focus	 of	 this	 case	 study,	 Company	 X,	 lags	 behind	 in	 innovative	 ideas	 and	 new	 product	
development.	 It	 is	currently	 transitioning	 from	analogue	market	research	 to	 the	digital	world	 in	
response	to	new	competitors,	new	technologies,	and	new	research	methods	(Brooke,	2018;	Forsyth	
and	 Boucher,	 2014).	 This	 research	 focuses	 mostly	 on	 one	 business	 unit	 in	 Company	 X	 with	
approximately	1,100	employees	but	also	takes	into	account	views	from	employees	outside	this	one	
department	to	capture	other	views.	
	
The	paper	outlines	a	conceptual	 framework	consisting	primarily	of	components	from	innovation,	
intrapreneurship,	and	entrepreneurship	theories,	specifically	with	regards	to	individual	factors	and	
the	contextual	factors	influencing	these	individual	factors.		
	
LITERATURE	REVIEW	
Due	to	the	long	and	changing	history	of	research	into	innovation,	researchers	examining	the	factors	
that	lead	to	innovative	outcomes	in	organisations	use	a	number	of	different	labels	and	sub-fields	to	
organise	 their	 work.	 The	 actions	 of	 individuals	 have	 been	 researched	 using	 a	 variety	 of	 labels:	
intrapreneur	(Fry,	1987;	Pinchot,	1985),	entrepreneur	(Schumpeter,	1934),	 innovator	(Miller	and	
Friesen,	1978),	inventor	(Schumpeter,	1934),	creative	constructionist	(Pisano,	2019),	and	behavioural	
innovation	(Wang	and	Ahmed,	2004).		
	
Attempts	have	also	been	made	to	map	individuals	to	specific	types	of	organizations	(Smith,	1967)	or	
to	 combine	 certain	 aspects	 of	 one	 label	 with	 another.	 Miner	 et	 al.	 (1992)	 coined	 the	 ‘inventor-
entrepreneur,	though	the	jury	is	still	undecided	if	one	person	can	truly	have	the	traits	of	both	(Stibel,	
2009).	The	value	of	investigating	these	labels	is	arguable	that	they	serve	as	Weber-type	ideal	types	
(Adler,	 2016)	 and	 thereby	 help	 in	 observing	 the	 real	 world	 or	 some	 aspects	 of	 it.	 Constructive	
typologies	 (McKinney,	 1966)	 can	 have	 either	 fictional	 (but	 probable)	 properties	 or	 be	 purely	
grounded	in	empirically	discoverable	attributes,	depending	on	the	respective	scholar’s	worldview.	
Consequently,	we	cannot	expect	to	find	the	exact	typologies	described	by	the	literature	but	rather	an	
approximation	of	them.		
	
This	is	especially	true	for	gendered	notions	of	intrapreneurship.	Indeed,	while	the	concept	of	gendered	
differences	in	entrepreneurial	activity	has	received	more	(though	not	enough)	attention	recently,	
there	is	no	significant	body	of	work	that	explores	gendered	conceptions	of	intrapreneurship.		
	
Regarding	entrepreneurial	behaviour,	there	is	still	a	mixed	bag	of	conclusions	that	can	be	drawn	from	
the	 research.	 	 A	 number	 of	 studies	 have	 shown	 that	 being	 self-employed	 can	 be	 an	 attractive	
proposition	to	women	who	want	greater	autonomy	over	their	work/life	balance	(Lombard	2001;	
Edwards	and	Field-Hendrey	2002).	Macpherson	(1988)	and	Carr	(1996)	argued	that	women	with	
children	favor	self-employment	owing	to	the	flexibility	with	respect	to	time	management	that	it	offers.		
	
Noseleit	 (2014)	 found	 that	 in	 a	 number	 of	 European	 countries,	 having	 children	 increases	 the	
likelihood	of	a	woman	being	self-employed,	while	Patrick	et	al.	(2016)	found	similar	results	in	the	



International	Journal	of	Management,	Entrepreneurship,	Social	Science	and	Humanities	(IJMESH),	Vol.	4	(2),	28-51	
Missing	out	on	the	“Men’s	Club”:	Gendered	Attitudes	to	Intrapreneurship	within	Large	Corporations	

Philip	Meier,	Simon	Adderley	

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United	States.		However,	Saridakis	et	al.	(2014)	argued	that	in	the	UK,	at	least	household	variables	are	
less	significant	than	economic	environments	for	both	men	and	women	in	explaining	self-employment	
choices		
	
In	reality,	the	topic	is	one	that	is	likely	to	prove	much	more	complicated	than	our	current	conclusions	
allow	for.		Fossen	(2012)	has	shown	that	the	majority	of	female	aversion	to	self-employment	comes	
not	 from	 risk	 aversion	 or	 lifestyle	 choices	 but	 from	 various	 subtle	 and	 embedded	 forms	 of	
discrimination	toward	women	entrepreneurs.		Calas	et	al.	(2009)	has	expertly	shown	that	the	very	
definition	 of	 "entrepreneur"	 is	 couched	 in	 male	 terms,	 and	 thus	 there	 is	 a	 need	 to	 reframe	
entrepreneurship	as	social	change	without	reliance	upon	economic	metrics.	
	
This	emerging	discourse	has	not	spread	to	an	examination	of	intrapreneurial	activity.		What	work	has	
been	 done	 seems	 to	 imply	 that	 women	 are	 more	 likely	 to	 express	 their	 inventiveness	 within	
organisations	rather	than	through	start-ups.	Kacperczyk	(2015)	concluded	that	this	finding	was	due	
to	the	fact	that	women	prefer	venturing	opportunities	within	established	organisations	because	this	
approach	is	both	less	risky	and	more	profitable	in	the	long	term:	Hamilton	reported	that	independent	
entrepreneurs	have	lower	initial	earnings	and	lower	earnings	growth	compared	to	employed	people	
(2000)	and	Wang	et	al.	(2012)	found	that	entrepreneurs	end	up	with	less	total	wealth	than	similar	
wealthy	households	who	do	not	engage	in	entrepreneurial	activity.		
	
For	some	of	 the	research,	 this	 lack	of	 clarity	 into	 the	differences	between	 intrapreneurship	and	
entrepreneurship	has	to	be	critically	taken	into	account	when	using	it	as	a	background	for	research	
projects	that	only	a	small	sub-stratum	is	being	sampled.	For	instance,	Iqbal	et	al.'s	(2006)	study	about	
risk	aversion	 in	women	executives	 looks	specifically	at	executive-level	employees	but	 leaves	out	
everyone	else,	which	arguably	in	most	organisations	is	the	majority.	It	is	thus	unrepresentative	of	
women	as	a	whole	in	organisations.	Other	research	is	contradictory.	Again,	whilst	the	Iqbal	study	
found	no	difference	in	risk-taking,	other	studies	did.	Though	cultural	differences	might	play	a	role,	one	
recent	study	in	Ghana	found	differences	in	risk	propensity	(Hillesland,	2019),	while	another	study	in	
Ghana	during	the	same	time	frame	did	not	(Ackah	et	al.,	2019).	
	
Adachi	and	Hisada	(2017)	challenged	Kacperczyk’s	assumptions	that	gender	differences	in	risk-taking	
behavior	do	not	cause	the	observed	gender	gap	in	entrepreneurial	activities	and	argued	that	women	
found	it	more	difficult	to	become	intrapreneurs	than	independent	entrepreneurs	due	to	the	existence	
of	entrenched	barriers	within	established	organizations	which	do	not	exist	to	the	same	degree	for	
start-ups.	
	
Douglas	and	Fitzsimmons	(2013)	and	Martiarena	(2013)	find	that	intrapreneurs	are	more	risk-averse	
than	 entrepreneurs,	 and	 a	 number	 of	 studies	 have	 shown	 evidence	 that,	 controlling	 for	 other	
demographic	characteristics,	women	are	on	average	more	risk-averse	than	men.	(Croson	and	Gneezy,	
2009)	
	
This	study	shows	that	questions	of	aversion	to	risk	are,	in	fact,	mute	and	that	the	primary	barrier	to	
female	 intrapreneurship,	 in	 this	case,	 study	at	 least,	was	 the	existence	of	embedded	"innovation	
teams"	which	were	dominated	by	men	and	which	implicitly	and	explicitly	excluded	female	actors.	
	
Background	context	on	Company	X	
	
The	case	study	organisation,	Company	X,	is	a	large	established	firm	based	in	Germany	and	with	around	
10,000	employees.	It	has	struggled	for	a	number	of	years	to	keep	up	with	digitization	and	is	currently	



International	Journal	of	Management,	Entrepreneurship,	Social	Science	and	Humanities	(IJMESH),	Vol.	4	(2),	28-51	
Missing	out	on	the	“Men’s	Club”:	Gendered	Attitudes	to	Intrapreneurship	within	Large	Corporations	

Philip	Meier,	Simon	Adderley	

 

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going	through	a	phase	of	change	and	restructuring,	having	been	confronted	with	a	changing	industry	
landscape.	The	scale	of	the	change	is	in	line	with	earlier	predictions	and	conceptualisations	(Nelson	
and	 Winter	 (1982),	 Schumpeter	 (1934),	 Anderson	 and	 Tushman	 (1990))	 that	 technological	
discontinuity	 forces	 Company	 X	 to	 change	 its	 internal	 routines	 dramatically	 and	 require	 new	
resources.	
	
Company	X's	current	top	management	has	been	installed	by	its	two	shareholders,	one	of	whom	is	a	
private	equity	investor.	Top	management	consists	entirely	of	managers	hired	from	outside	Company	
X.	
	
Most	of	Company	X’s	innovations	are	routine;	innovations	are	seldom	radical	(Norman	and	Verganti,	
2013;	Pisano,	2015),	though	the	new	management	team	is	concentrating	upon	a	new	prescriptive	
artificial	 intelligence	service.	Business	models	have	remained	mostly	unchanged.	At	the	time	this	
research	was	conducted,	it	was	not	evident	if	the	strategies	that	Company	X	employs	would	lead	to	
success.		
	
Methodology	
This	research	utilised	a	series	of	semi-structured	 in-depth	 interviews	(with	samples	equal	 to	21	
respondents),	 mostly	 over	 Skype	 with	 two	 interviews	 conducted	 in	 cafes	 near	 the	 office.	 	 The	
interviews,	which	lasted	approximately	55	minutes,	were	conducted	with	staff	based	in	Germany	
utilising	a	semi-structured	interview	guide	to	ensure	flexibility	and	to	explore	every	participant's	
situation	individually.	The	interview	guide	is	the	result	of	(a)	the	academic	literature	review	and	(b)	
the	key	 informant	 interviews.	 It	contains	open-ended	and	closed-ended	questions.	The	 interview	
guide	covers	opportunities,	risk-seeking	and	sensitivity,	personality	traits,	demographics	(e.g.,	age,	
sex),	and	the	work	environment.	Terminology	was	clarified	at	the	start	of	every	interview,	
	
Questions	 in	 the	semi-structured	 interview	guide	were	selected	to	reflect	 factors	 that	have	been	
proposed	as	relevant	to	firm-level	entrepreneurial	behaviour	and	individual-level	intrapreneurship:		
	
Organisational	factors:	Themes	regarding	organisational	factors	explored	autonomy	and	job	variety,	
the	availability	of	 incentives,	and	 the	availability	of	opportunities	 in	 the	case	study	organisation	
through	networking.	
	
Individual-level	 factors:	 To	 address	 individual-level	 factors,	 the	 guide	 explored	 sensitivity	 and	
perception	of	risk,	sensitivity,	and	perception	towards	rewards,	competitive	energy,	innovativeness,	
and	if	participants	felt	they	were	intrapreneurial.	

	
Sex	and	age:	Themes	regarding	sex	and	age	explored	 the	roles	 that	 these	characteristics	play	 in	
Company	 X	 as	 well	 as	 personal	 or	 observed	 experiences	 with	 a	 focus	 on	 opportunities	 to	 be	
intrapreneurial	and	innovative.		
	
For	all	questions,	items	were	constructed	in	a	way	to	allow	for	the	exploration	of	the	individual	context	
as	well	as	the	organisational	context.	For	instance,	when	asked	about	how	competitive	participants	
felt	 they	 were,	 the	 interviews	 also	 asked	 them	 if	 they	 thought	 that	 Company	 X	 rewarded	 this	
competitive	behaviour.	
	
Participants	were	selected	participants	using	a	sampling	matrix	that	captured	the	participant's	place	
in	the	organisational	hierarchy	of	the	organisation	and	should	correlate	with	the	number	of	resources	



International	Journal	of	Management,	Entrepreneurship,	Social	Science	and	Humanities	(IJMESH),	Vol.	4	(2),	28-51	
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available	 to	 the	 participant.	 Since	 gender	 was	 suggested	 in	 the	 key	 informant	 interviews	 as	 a	
worthwhile	area	of	research,	researchers	also	sampled	for	male	and	female	participants.	Furthermore,	
to	participate	in	the	in-depth	interviews,	participants	must	have	been	employees	at	Company	X	for	at	
least	6	months	and	must	be	full-time	employees.	Participants	were	excluded	if	they	were	under	18	
years	of	age,	were	interns,	or	had	worked	at	Company	X	for	less	than	6	months.	Saturation	occurred	
after	21	interviews.	
	
This	research	involved	in-depth	interviews	(n=21)	and	surveys	(n=20).	The	survey	response	rate	of	
16%	(20/125)	 is	 towards	 the	 lower	end	of	 that	 recommended	 for	business	 research	publishing	
(Mellahi	and	Harris,	2016).	Consequently,	 these	results	should	be	seen	as	 indicative	and	require	
further	research	to	confirm	or	challenge	the	primary	conclusions.	Participants'	characteristics	appear	
in	Table	1,	where	they	are	compared	to	the	general	population	in	Germany.		
	
	



International	Journal	of	Management,	Entrepreneurship,	Social	Science	and	Humanities	(IJMESH),	Vol.	4	(2),	28-51	
Missing	out	on	the	“Men’s	Club”:	Gendered	Attitudes	to	Intrapreneurship	within	Large	Corporations	

Philip	Meier,	Simon	Adderley	

 

	33	|		

Table	1.	Sample	and	general	population	characteristics.1	
	

Characteristics	 Interview	participants	 General	population	

Sex	ratio	(men:women)	 3:1	 0.97:1	

Age	group	(in	years)	 	 	

			18-24	 0.00%	 8.13%	

			25-29	 5.26%	 6.07%	

			30-39	 36.84%	 11.84%	

			40-49	 42.11%	 16.64%	

			50-64	 15.79%	 20.35%	

			65+	 0.00%	 11.26%	

Years	working	for	Company	X2	 	 	

			1-3	 15.79%	 -	

			4-6	 36.84%	 -	

			7-9	 36.84%	 -	

		10-13	 10.53%	 -	

		14-17	 5.26%	 -	

		18-20	 10.53%	 -	

		21+	 0.00%	 -	

Professional	experience	(in	years)	 	 	

			1-3	 0.00%	 -	

			4-6	 5.26%	 - 	

			7-9	 0.00%	 -	

			10-13	 31.58%	 -	

			14-17	 15.79%	 -	

			18-20	 36.84%	 -	

			21+	 21.05%	 -	

Seniority	 	 	

			Ground-level	 57.89%	 -	

			Mid-level	 26.32%	 -	

			Upper	level	 21.05%	 -	

 
1 Source for the population statistics is Germany’s Statistisches Bundesamt (DSTATIS, 2019).  
2 Data from a 2015 study of the Institut der Deutschen Wirtschaft (iwd) shows that German employees stay at the 
same company for 12.9 years. Managers and specialists stay for 11.9 years on average. Age affects this only 
slightly (IWD, 2015). 



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All	 in-depth	 interview	 participants	 were	 asked	 to	 self-assess	 on	 individual	 dimensions	 of	
intrapreneurship	to	give	context	to	their	viewpoints.	Interestingly,	most	participants	did	not	rate	their	
reward	sensitivity	highly,	but	everyone	said	 they	were	proactive.	As	 shown	 in	Diagram	1,	most	
participants	did	not	rate	themselves	intrapreneurial,	 though	most	rated	themselves	innovative.	A	
notable	exception	was	one	vice	president:	
	

“I	am	not	innovative	in	the	sense	that	I	develop	new	business	models,	but	I	am	very	good	at	
expanding	on	existing	business	models.”	
	 -	Man,	45-years-old,	vice	president	

	
	
Diagram	1.	Participant	characteristics,	each	colour	represents	a	different	participant	
	

	
	
	
	 	



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Each	interview	started	by	explaining	the	necessity	of	informed	consent.	Each	participant	was	then	
asked	to	consent.	The	answer	was	recorded	as	part	of	the	interview	audio	file.	Every	participant	
received	a	unique	identification	number	that	was	used	exclusively	in	all	data	analysis.	No	incentives	
were	given	apart	from	a	free	coffee	during	the	one	interview	conducted	over	lunch.	
	
Four	interviews	were	conducted	in	English,	and	the	rest	were	conducted	in	German.	Amongst	the	
interviews	in	English,	one	was	done	with	a	participant	for	whom	his	native	languages	are	Spanish	and	
Catalan;	the	others	were	done	with	participants	for	whom	English	is	their	native	language.	A	direct	
translation	approach	was	used	(Saunders	et	al.,	2015).		
	
Filler	words	and	false	starts	were	largely	omitted	from	the	transcripts,	but	separate	notes	were	taken	
to	identify	answers	that	seemed	to	cause	the	participants	particular	stress.	Researchers	also	removed	
any	names	of	companies	and	people	to	ensure	anonymity.	Parts	of	the	interviews	were	lightly	edited	
for	conventions	of	English	grammar	and	readability.	The	translation	was	done	after	the	interviews	
were	recorded	but	before	analysis	of	the	data.		
	
Management	at	Company	X	approved	the	research.	All	participants	gave	consent,	either	oral	(in	which	
case	it	was	recorded)	or	written	before	the	interviews	and	surveys	started.	Participants	were	asked	
to	exclude	any	personally	identifiable	data	and	to	refrain	from	sharing	business	secrets	regarding	
current	and/or	former	employers	and	anonymise	names	of	persons,	projects,	and	entities.	
	
A	domain	analysis	approach	was	used	for	the	generated	data,	as	this	research	method	is	well	suited	
for	when	repeat	access	to	interviewees	is	possible	for	further	research	(Leech	and	Onwuegbuzie,	
2007).	The	initial	codebook’s	high-level	themes	were	created	a	priori	from	the	literature	review	and	
emerged	in	vivo	from	the	key	informant	interviews	in	a	combined	approach	(Dey,	1993).	This	process	
(Diagram	2)	continued	throughout	 the	research	process,	as	 it	 increased	the	coder's	reliability	 in	
finding	 themes	 (Carey	et	al.,	 1996).	 Since	 some	participants	gave	 interviews	 in	 their	non-native	
language	and	some	participants	gave	interviews	in	the	interviewers'	non-native	language,	no	special	
attention	was	paid	to	the	narrative	structure	apart	from	inconsistencies,	repetitions,	and	silences	
(Poirier	and	Ayres,	1997).		
	
From	grounded	theory,	the	constant	comparison	method	(Glaser	and	Strauss,	1967)	was	used	to	
discover	 similarities	and	differences	 in	participants’	 replies	and	 to	 inform	data	collection.	 I	 also	
identified	metaphors	and	analogies	 (Lakoff	and	 Johnson,	2003)	and	 finally	 looked	 for	exemplars	
(Lincoln	and	Guba,	1985).		The	data	analysis	workflow	is	shown	in	Diagram	2	below.	
	
	 	



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Diagram	2.	Data	analysis	workflow	

	

	
	
	
	 	



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Codes	aligned	largely	with	what	was	expected	from	the	literature	review.	Additionally,	new	codes	
were	discovered	revolving	around	the	processes	of	what	makes	intrapreneurship	and	innovation	
possible	in	the	organisation,	as	well	as	networking	and	differences	between	the	sexes.		
	
Secondary	documents,	both	internal	and	external,	were	used	to	contextualize	Company	X	and	to	better	
understand	the	motivations	and	actions	of	top	management.	These	documents	included	regular	emails	
and	video	interviews	sent	from	the	CEO	to	employees.	Publically	available	news	sources	and	industry	
publications	were	used	to	establish	context	and	look	for	additional	clues.	
	
RESULTS	
Three	main	themes	emerged	from	the	data,	reported	here	 in	a	top-down	approach.	Each	section	
contains	findings	from	the	interviews,	survey,	and	secondary	data.		
	
Theme	1:	Unmanaged	innovation	is	replaced	by	informal	networks	and	processes	that	disadvantage	
outsiders	and	women	
	
The	research	identified	three	different	processes	(Diagram	3)	for	innovators	to	obtain	funding	and	
make	their	ideas	happen:	one	formal	process,	one	semi-formal	process,	and	one	informal	process.	Only	
the	semi-formal	process	was	considered	by	primary	research	participants	 to	produce	promising	
results.	It	is,	however,	not	available	to	everyone.	Only	a	few	employees	from	a	single	product	group	
get	 special	 attention	 from	 the	 C-Level.	 A	 similar	 process	 exists	 in	 other	 departments	 but	 was	
considered	by	participants	 to	be	 less	 successful	 in	acquiring	 funding.	The	 Innovation	process	at	
Company	X	is	shown	in	Diagram	3	below.	
	 	



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Diagram	3.	Innovation	processes	at	Company	X	
	
	

	
	
Participants	talked	about	how	some	people	or	groups	of	people	were	capable	of	getting	the	attention	
and	the	funding	needed	to	develop	their	ideas;	however,	they	felt	that	access	to	these	groups	and	
processes	was	restricted.	If	special	processes	existed,	they	could	be	skipped	by	people	who	were	
better	connected	than	others.	Women	more	often	reported	limited	access	to	the	innovator’s	club	
(Diagram	4)	than	men;	it	is	notable	that	participants	reporting	no	limitations	were	exclusively	men.		
	
Diagram	4.	Limited	access	to	the	innovator’s	club	

	
	
	



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One	woman	explained	it	in	detail:	
	

“It	was,	it	was	amazing	how	depending	on	who	you	were,	you	would,	you	would	skip	the	innovation	process.	So	
I,	for	example,	or	people	on	my	level	would	go	through	the	entire	process.	So	creating	a	business	case,	the	POC	
pitching	to	the	ward,	pros,	and	cons.	Like	the	typical	innovation	process,	which	I	can't	remember	now	‘cause	I	
moved	away	from	it.	But	people	from	the	boards	would	have	senior	meetings	with	other	companies	when	it	had	
absolutely	no	relevance	or	did	not	go	through	that	process.	We	would	run	pilots	with	companies	that	we	never,	
we	never	did	any	of	that	innovation	process.	No	one	pitched	it	to	the	board,	but	because	someone	senior	knew	
someone	senior,	that	was	completely	skipped.”	

- Woman,	28-years-old,	Innovation	Manager	
	
Theme	2:	Access	 to	opportunities	had	a	greater	correlation	 to	gender	 than	 to	 seniority,	with	male	
employees	benefitting	from	this	
	
Though	 the	 internal	 communications	 from	 Company	 X's	 top	 management	 suggest	 that	 top	
management	would	like	to	create	an	inclusive	culture	where	broad	participation	opportunities	exist	
for	all	employees,	the	research	results	suggest	that	Company	X	is	not	quite	there	yet.	Seniority	level	
did	not	correlate	with	access	to	opportunities	and	the	intrapreneurial	process.	Even	the	Vice	President	
complained	during	his	interview	about	closed-off	groups	of	people	who	got	all	the	funding	and	could	
skip	processes.	He	also	offered	a	different	view	on	why	women	have	it	harder	breaking	into	these	
circles:	
	

“Men	are	generally,	at	least	in	my	experience,	in	my	professional	career,	most	men	in	leadership	
positions	are	more	assertive,	as	in,	they	are	loud,	they	stand	up	for	themselves,	women	have	
different	tactics,	but	they	are	not	heard.”	

- Man,	45	years,	Vice	President	
	
To	obtain	privileged	access	to	innovation	processes,	networking	is	key.	Employees	must	break	into	
these	exclusive	circles	via	networking,	as	noted	by	a	participant	who	said	she	was	good	at	making	her	
voice	heard:	
	

“It's	definitely	my	network.	If	you	are	not	in	a	region	and	you're	a	manager	or	an	associate	
director,	I	think	you'd	really,	really	struggle	to	get	people	to	listen	to	your	idea	if	you	don't	have	
a	direct	line.”	

- Woman,	28,	Innovation	Manager	
	
Whilst	networking	is	an	important	precursor	to	shortened	innovation	processes;	this	networking	is	
not	always	perceived	as	being	equally	available	to	men	and	women.	Socio-cultural	norms	and	beliefs	
about	the	sexes	can	limit	opportunities	for	networking	opportunities	outside	of	the	office.	One	woman	
in	senior	management	noted	that,	as	a	single	woman,	she	had	a	difficult	time	networking	with	male	
colleagues	outside	the	office	since	inviting	a	male	colleague	to	a	bar	could	be	interpreted	incorrectly	
as	an	advance.	This	participant	 thought	 that	male	colleagues	 likely	 felt	 similar	constraints	when	
considering	 networking	 with	 female	 colleagues	 outside	 the	 office.	 Consequently,	 single-sex	
networking	opportunities	protected	both	sexes	from	misunderstandings.		
	
Another	participant	suggested	that	among	men,	these	‘men’s	clubs’	existed	because	men	tend	to	work	
with	other	men	with	whom	they	get	along	well:	
	



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“What	I	see	frequently	is	that	the	people	driving	innovation,	recruit	their	own	team	members,	
their	best	buddies	with	whom	they	worked	on	different	projects,	with	whom	they	get	along	well	
or	worked	with	at	another	employer.	That	happens	frequently.	I	noticed	that	men	tend	to	work	
with	other	men	with	whom	they	go	out	for	a	beer	at	night.	It's	like	a	men's	club.”	

- Woman,	41	years,	Sales	Manager	
	
While	 participant’s	 from	 both	 sexes	 discussed	 their	 perceptions	 that	 networks	 exist	 in	 the	
organization	with	limited	access	to	outsiders,	only	women	suggested	specific	reasons	why	this	access	
was	limited	for	them:		
	

“Football	is	one	of	those	connecting	elements.	It	is	extreme.	I	have	that	discussion	frequently	with	
my	husband,	who,	as	it	happens,	was	having	dinner	with	his	boys	last	night,	and	they	only	talked	
about	football.	That	seems	to	be	part	of	the	men's	world.	There	are	more	passionate	topics	men	
talk	about,	like	football,	that	women	don't	care	about.	There	is	nothing	similar	between	women,	
no	similar	topic.	We	don't	go	out	and	talk	about	food	or	tennis	all	night.”	

- Woman,	41	years,	Sales	Manager	
	
Theme	3:	The	mental	image	of	an	intrapreneur	shows	a	lack	of	diversified	examples	in	Company	X	and	
tends	to	be	male	
	
Respondents	were	asked	to	come	up	with	a	mental	image	of	an	intrapreneur	at	Company	X.	All,	but	
one	said	they	imagined	a	European	man	in	his	30s.	This	image	was	the	same	for	both	men	and	women.	
Participants	were	also	asked	about	barriers,	with	a	focus	on	intrapreneurial	activity	and	opportunity	
exploitation.	11	respondents	stated	that	they	do	not	believe	there	were	any	barriers	based	on	sex,	9	
said	they	do	think	there	are	such	barriers,	 including	all	women.	The	 following	answer	 from	one	
participant	is	representative:	
	

“Probably	male.	Um,	probably	white.	Probably	mid-thirties.	I	would	say	not	someone	new	to	the	
business,	not	necessarily	someone	who	spent	a	long	time	on	the	business.”	

- Woman,	28	years,	Innovation	Manager	
	
One	female	participant	suggested	that	women	have	a	harder	time	engaging	in	risky	activities	because	
they	are	more	concerned	about	how	they	are	perceived.		
	

“And	I	mean,	I	can	say	as	a	girl,	I	definitely	did	not	like	making	mistakes.	So	like	this,	you	know,	if	you're	in	school	
or	in	a	classroom	and	your	teacher	is	asking	a	question,	I	did	not	like	looking	bad	in	front	of	people.	And	I	think	
this	is	something	that	inhibits	risk-taking.	Of	course,	you	have	to	be	comfortable,	the	fact	that	you	might	fail.	And	
I	think	somehow,	not	everyone,	but	there	are	more	guys	taking	risks	in	general	at	a	younger	age	and	sort	of	
saying,	oh,	it's	okay	if	it	didn't	work	out,	so	it's	not	a	big	deal.”	
	

- Woman,	38	years	old,	a	ground-level	employee	with	some	managerial	experience		
	
While	researchers	did	not	have	access	to	Company	X’s	employees’	demographics	(e.g.,	ethnicity,	age),	
their	top	management	consists	solely	of	white	Europeans,	and	all	but	one	are	male.	The	only	female	
executive	runs	the	human	resource	department.	
	



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DISCUSSION	
This	case	study	found	that	Company	X	is	hindered	by	contradicting	messages	and	insufficient	rigour	
in	implementing	an	organizational	level	strategy	(Diagram	5)	as	well	as	resource	and	communications	
channel	controlling	informal	networks	in	middle	management.	The	effects	these	informal	networks	
have	on	the	diffusion	of	ideas	are	further	amplified	by	gender	adoption.	The	research	suggests	that	
three	main	reasons	may	lead	the	case	study	organization	to	act	like	it	does:	
	
Firstly,	there	is	insufficient	rigour	in	implementing	an	organizational	level	innovation	strategy	with	
the	male-dominated	 'innovator’s	 club’	being	 the	manifestation	of	a	principal-agent	 type-problem	
(Jensen	and	Meckling,	1976).		Secondly,	the	implementation	of	a	firm-level	innovation	strategy	is	not	
perceived	as	covering	all	departments	of	the	case	study	organization,	and	as	a	result,	the	innovation	
is	not	widely	supported.		Finally,	as	a	result	of	the	former	two	issues,	communication	is	uncoordinated	
and	sometimes	contradictory.	
	

Diagram	5.	A	high-level	overview	of	findings:	innovation	in	Company	X	
	

	
	
	
	 	



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In	the	following	sections,	we	link	the	research	to	sense-making	theories	and	provide	some	concluding	
answers.	
	
Access	to	innovation	processes	
The	access	people	have	to	the	processes	to	make	innovations	might	be	due	to	a	number	of	reasons.	
Tacit	knowledge	(Polanyi,	1967)	could	be	one	reason.	Some	actors	might	simply	know	which	strings	
to	tap	more	than	others.	The	lack	of	a	defined	innovation	process	would	arguably	help	individuals	with	
tacit	 knowledge	 to	 achieve	 their	 goals.	 Another	 explanation	 could	 be	 the	 development	 of	 an	
organisational	routine	(Cohen	and	Bacdayan,	1994)	which	limits	how	innovations,	ventures,	and	new	
ideas	are	moved	from	individuals	without	the	immediate	power	to	act	upon	opportunities	to	those	
who	do.	Simply	said,	the	guy	who	calls	the	shots	might	only	talk	to	a	select	few.	This	would	leave	the	
question	of	why	there	are	no	procedures	to	collect	and	synthesize	ideas	from	outside	of	this	group.	It	
generally	questions	the	idea	that	the	organization	is	a	social	community	that	enhances	the	transfer	of	
new	skills	and	capabilities	(Zander	and	Kogut,	1995).	Instead,	it	seems	to	suggest	that	groups	within	
organizations	can	limit	said	transfer.	The	data	does	in	no	way	hint	at	any	motivating	factors,	but	
arguably	there	seems	to	be	a	principal-agent	type	problem	(Jensen	and	Meckling,	1976)	at	play	here,	
given	that	the	organizational-level	strategy	seems,	at	least	in	principle,	to	welcome	more	innovation	
and	entrepreneurial	spirit	in	the	case	study	organization.	An	alternative	explanation	leads	back	to	
Schumpeter	(1934),	who	stated	that	innovations	are	new	ways	of	combining	resources	or	knowledge.	
The	innovator’s	club	at	Company	X	might	then	just	hint	at	a	very	innovative	group	of	individuals	who	
control	access	to	resources	to	be	 innovative.	Non-inclusive	 inter-organizational	networks	are	not	
uncommon	(Yamkovenko	and	Tavares,	2017),	and	research	into	how	to	uncover	them	has	gained	
some	traction	in	recent	years	due	to	an	increased	interest	in	diversity	and	inclusion	(McKinsey,	2015).	
	
The	 issues	 in	 obtaining	 funding	 from	 the	 C-Level,	 reported	 by	 the	 highest-ranking	 participants	
interviewed	for	this	case	study,	as	well	as	the	apparent	inconclusive	communication,	were	already	in	
2006	described	by	Rosabeth	Moss	Kanter	as	classical	innovation	traps	(2006).	
	
Focus	on	innovation	
There	are	implications	beyond	intrapreneurship.	It	challenges	the	classical	view	of	organisations	in	
which	individuals	are	mostly	self-motivated	and	act	in	their	own	best	interest	or	that	“organisations		
are	social	communities	which	use	their	relational	structure	and	shared	coding	schemes	to	enhance	
the	transfer	and	communication	of	new	skills	and	capabilities”		(Zander	and	Kogut,	1995,	p.	1).	Instead,	
the	data	suggest	that	individuals	can	form	closed-off	alliances,	which	might	be	informal	or	systemically	
created,	which	act	as	barriers	to	innovation	and	inter-organizational	venturing,	possibly	to	the	benefit	
of	its	members.		
	
This	aspect	is	also	currently	not	considered	in	EO	research.	Instead,	EO	assumes	that	top	management	
represents	corporate	culture	as	a	whole	contributes	to	the	entrepreneurial	posture	of	the	firm.	It	is	
also	a	factor	that	is	not	considered	in	the	Miller/Covin	Slevin	scale.	
	
Prior	research	has	already	demonstrated	that	board	gender	diversity	leads	to	a	decrease	in	potential	
reputation	risks	associated	with	aggressive	tax	strategies	(Chen	et	al.,	2019).	Given	that	research	has	
also	shown	that	female	managers	are	not	more	risk-averse	than	male	managers,	it	is	tempting	to	ask	
if	the	real	difference	is	that	men	do	not	think	of	reputation	and	perception	as	components	that	have	
to	be	taken	into	account.	This	could	have	implications	on	cultural	values	and	norms	in	that	company	
execs	 would	 need	 to	 take	 gender	 differences	 into	 account	 when	 crafting	 visions,	 missions,	 and	
guidelines	so	that	the	right	people	draw	the	right	conclusions.	



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It	seems	thus	reasonable	to	assume	that	to	make	the	desired	change	happen	in	the	organisation	is	
highly	path-dependent	in	that	a	number	of	prior	actions	are	responsible	for	the	outcomes	of	any	
actions	 towards	 the	 end	 goal	 of	 making	 the	 desired	 change,	 be	 it	 the	 implementation	 of	 a	 new	
innovation	or	the	start	of	a	new	venture,	happen.	This	is,	of	course,	unfortunate	for	any	organisation	
wishing	to	have	a	culture	of	fast	reactions	to	changing	market	needs	as	it	a)	limits	the	number	of	people	
whose	ideas	are	considered	at	all,	and	b)	makes	the	organisation	inflexible	in	that	an	organisation	once	
created	for	a	specific	purpose	with	a	specific	goal,	vision,	and	mission	 in	mind	 is	stuck	with	the	
members,	skills,	and	choices	once	made.	
	
What	organisations	do	not	configure	their	internal	structure	to	capture	the	vast	pool	of	ideas	their	
internal	(Kanter,	2006)	and	external	network	(HBS,	2019)	could	generate	seems	to	be	old	news.		
	
Gender	in	the	organizational	context	
As	discussed	in	the	literature	review,	no	notable	gender	differences	have	been	found	for	a	number	of	
dimensions	relevant	to	this	research	paper's	research.	Participants,	however,	reported	on	behavioural	
differences	they	had	experienced,	or	they	suggested	these	differences	exist.		
	
One	of	the	upper	management	participants,	who	had	significant	professional	experience,		stated	that	
he	experienced	women's	tactics	to	be	different	then	men’s	tactics	(i.e.,	less	assertive,	quieter,	do	not	
stand	up	for	themselves)	prevent	women	from	breaking	into	special	networks,	as	women	'are	not	
heard.'	The	women	employees	at	Company	X	likely	agree	with	his	latter	point,	as	women	will	never	be	
heard	at	men's	only	networking	opportunities	after	work	due	to	a	lack	of	access.	However,	the	woman	
participants	interviewed	challenged	his	statement	about	women's	tactics,	with	one	woman	reporting	
being	good	at	making	her	voice	heard.	While	gender	differences	in	assertiveness	are	well	documented	
in	the	research	literature,	there	is	no	easy	solution.	Women	who	are	more	assertive	are	often	seen	
unfavourably	by	colleagues,	especially	if	these	women	are	in	leadership	positions	(Fielding-Singh	et	
al.,	2018;	Wei	Zheng	et	al.,	2018).	A	possible	solution	to	the	problem	of	informal	networking	activities	
could	be,	for	instance,	for	women	to	actively	create	these	networking	events	by	themselves,	but	in	a	
context	that	better	suits	their	needs,	instead	of	going	to	a	sports	bar	and	watching	football	an	after	
work	dinner	event	might	be	better	suited.	However	this	is	ultimately	approached,	the	disconnect	
between	the	sexes	suggests	that	unless	senior	management	seeks	to	actively	engage	all	employees,	
gendered	 barriers	 will	 limit	 access	 to	 opportunities	 for	 networking,	 resources,	 and	 privileged	
innovation	processes.	
	
Issues	of	Definition	
A	consistent	theme	of	the	research	process	was	that	interview	participant	did	not	always	have	a	clear	
definition	of	innovation,	entrepreneurship,	or	intrapreneurship.	We	found	that	they	mix	the	latter	two	
terms	frequently.	This	was	discovered	in	the	key	informant	interviews	and	led	researchers	to	add	a	
definition	of	these	terms,	which	could	be	read	to	the	participants	in	case	they	lacked	an	understanding	
of	the	terms.	Moreover,	in	a	common-sense	way,	intrapreneurs	are	hard	to	identify:	While	someone	
who	starts	a	business	can	with	some	certainty	be	called	an	entrepreneur,	intrapreneurs	often	do	not	
even	realize	what	label	they	are	given	and	ask	peers	did	not	lead	to	clear	results	either.	Simply	finding	
people	who	have	already	proven	that	they	can	launch	new	products	or	services	leads	into	the	same	
trap	that	has	often	been	criticised	about	innovation	research	in	general:	It	is	ex	post	facto	and	thus	
only	captures	a	portion	of	what	is	going	on.	At	least	in	the	case	study	organization,	it	was	hard	to	find	
enough	women	for	the	samples.	A	reason	might	be	the	well-reported	lack	of	women	in	technology	



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(e.g.,	Conway	et	al.).	However,	the	insights	gained	from	the	women	in	the	sample	were	of	particularly	
high	value.	
	
Lastly,	 as	 has	 been	 stated	 by	 others	 (Nelson	 and	 Winter,	 1982;	 Polanyi,	 1967),	 people	 who	 are	
intrapreneurial	by	nature	tend	to	rely	on	a	set	of	skills	and	knowledge,	which	is	often	tacit	in	nature.	
This,	however,	means	they	are	not	always	fully	aware	of	these	skills	and	their	knowledge,	which	poses	
a	particular	challenge	to	any	research	into	the	matter	by	means	of	qualitative	or	quantitative	research.		
	
A	clear	success	was	the	realization	that	people	are	well	aware	of	what	innovation	is	and	whatnot.	They	
might	not	always	be	able	to	define	it,	but	they	know	something	to	be	an	innovation	if	they	see	it.	A	
non-academic-friendly	innovation	classification	system	could	help	as	a	tool	for	gaining	more	insights	
into	innovation	activity	in	organizations.	
	
While	 Entrepreneurial	 Orientation	 metrics	 (EO)	 are	 useful	 for	 assessing	 an	 organisation's	
innovativeness	and	thus	make	statements	about	its	business	and	marketing	performance,	there	is	a	
clear	need	for	a	research	database	that	makes	past	measurement	results	available	for	benchmarking.	
	
CONCLUSION	
The	original	research	questions	this	research	paper	set	out	to	explore	are:	(1)	the	factors	that	influence	
innovative	and	intrapreneurial	behaviour	amongst	female	employees	and	(2)	how	these	factors	are	
influenced	by	the	organisation.		
	
To	 answer	 these	 questions,	 semi-structured	 interviews	 were	 conducted	 at	 the	 case	 study	
organization.	Additionally,	a	survey	was	used	to	get	answers	from	a	larger	population.	Additionally,	
internal	and	external	data	sources	were	used	to	describe	the	employees'	work	context.	
	
The	findings	seem	to	suggest	that	strategy	makers	at	Company	X	send	out	two	different	messages,	
which	lead	to	outcomes,	not	in	line	with	senior	management's	primary	message.	We	were	unable	to	
obtain	data	that	would	explain	if	this	is	intentional	or	unintentional.	Company	X	bets	on	a	single	big	
new	project	while	neglecting	other	areas	of	their	business.	We	did	not	find	any	recommendations	in	
the	research	or	popular	management	literature	prescribing	this	approach.	More	research	is	needed	to	
determine	how	strategy	makers	use	this	approach,	under	which	circumstances,	and	what	its	success	
criteria	are.		
	
The	findings	also	provide	insights	into	the	processes,	networking,	and	group	formation	at	Company	X:	
	

• Company	X	pursues	a	single	bet	innovation	strategy,	putting	large	parts	of	the	company	into	
maintenance	mode.		

• Innovation	 is	 hindered	 by	 the	 strategy	 and	 internal	 groups	 that	 effectively	 control	 the	
innovation	processes	for	their	advantage.		

• Gender	plays	a	significant	role	in	who	gets	to	exercise	innovation	opportunities.	
• Research	participants'	networks	do	not	extend	outside	of	Company	X.	
• Participants	rate	Company	X	below	average	on	the	dimensions	of	innovativeness,	risk-taking,	

and	 proactivity.	 Given	 the	 strategy	 of	 Company	 X,	 it	 could	 be	 argued	 though,	 that	 these	
measurements	are	not	representative	of	the	company	as	a	whole.	

	
Company	X	is	not	at	the	end	of	its	journey.	Consequently,	this	research	paper	is	limited	in	its	ability	to	
judge	 or	 measure	 success	 and	 failure.	 A	 follow-up	 study	 could	 try	 to	 extend	 this	 research	 after	
Company	X	has	had	time	to	finish	the	current	adaptation	cycle.	Another	weakness	of	this	research	is	



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that	it	lacks	direct	data	from	important	actors	in	the	organization,	especially	from	the	C-Level.	Thus,	
certain	conclusions	drawn	in	this	research	paper	are	more	speculative	than	others.	It	has	also	been	
pointed	out	that	observing	a	small	group	is	not	a	valid	way	of	measuring	corporate	innovativeness	
(Wang	and	Ahmed,	2004).	As	we	have	discussed,	this	research	paper	supports	this	view.		
	
There	is	evidence	that	macroeconomic	and	industry	factors	can	influence	the	outcomes	mediated	by	
EO’s	contributing	factors	in	firms	(Saeed	et	al.,	2014).	As	stated	earlier,	this	research	paper	does	not	
take	into	account	factors	outside	of	the	organisation	and	might	thus	be	limited	in	its	explanatory	
power.	
	
Implications	and	suggestions	for	future	research	
As	this	case	study	captures	only	a	relatively	small	timeframe,	it	would	be	interesting	to	research	more	
organizations	over	much	longer	periods.	This	is	especially	in	light	of	the	often-stated	weakness	of	prior	
studies,	which	are	mostly	ex	post	facto.	Besides	finding	out	how	organizational	implementations	of	
innovation	processes	and	strategies	lead	to	outcomes,	this	author	also	thinks	it	would	be	worthwhile	
specifically	reporting	on	unsuccessful	businesses	or	approaches	to	innovation	that	is	less	mainstream.	
Also,	studying	closed-off	social	structures	in	organizations	undergoing	considerable	change	processes	
could	be	worthwhile.	The	relation	of	perception,	reputation,	and	gender	is	an	interesting	component	
of	future	research,	for	instance,	in	a	study	that	compares	organizations	in	different	cultural	contexts.	
Finally,	 the	author	 suggested	 that	a	 strategy	 that	 splits	an	organization	 into	areas	of	 innovative	
progress	and	innovative	stagnation	requires	considerations	for	the	way	EO	research	is	conducted.	
	
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