Corporate Entrepreneurship - Transferring Innovations into the Main Organization : A Case Study in the Context of the Telecommunications Industry

Abstract: This thesis explores the topic of Corporate Entrepreneurship in large organizations with regards to how innovations are transferred from an Innovation Department into a receiving Business Unit. It aims to understand this topic by identifying what challenges are common barriers to this transfer process. It also identifies the causes of these challenges. Finally, this thesis establishes what suitable approach can be adapted to address these challenges. To answer these concerns, this research takes a deductive research approach by conducting a qualitative, empirical research through semi-structured interviews within a large Nordic telecommunication company. It also includes, benchmarking against two examples of companies that have developed solutions to overcome similar challenges. This qualitative methodology involves analyzing the interview and benchmarking results in comparison with literature, to confirm or disprove previous research. From the findings, eight categories of common challenges are discovered which are rooted within the innovation strategy of incumbent companies. Based on this research, a framework is developed as an approach to address the challenges of transferring innovations from an Innovation Department into a receiving Business Unit. As contribution to this field of study, this thesis highlights how multiple academic theories such as Corporate Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management and Innovation Strategy can be synthesized to collectively address these challenges. This is done by proposing a solution that is adaptable for different incumbent organizations. The proposed framework uses a stage-gate process that progresses when certain criteria agreed between an Innovation Department and a receiving Business Unit, are fulfilled. This agreement is based on the extent to which the criteria for each stage-gate is achieved in order to transfer ownership of the innovation solution.