How to successfully implement the entrepreneurial spirit

Two-thirds long for innovation and that certain “stardust” in their company. Whether product-related, technical, organizational, or cultural, a start-up mentality in companies is currently in high demand.

The expectations are clearly defined. Managers and employees need more space for creative development and agility in order to be able to respond more quickly and specifically to new trends and customer wishes, and above all to remain capable of acting.

But what does start-up mentality actually look like in everyday life? The cliché image that immediately springs to mind is that of young entrepreneurs sitting casually at their laptops in spacious offices or co-working spaces with a living room atmosphere, working around the clock on their business models. What is exemplary about this is that successful digital and other innovation begins with the managers and teams of employees involved, as well as their mutual inspiration and enthusiasm for the topic.

Implementation step by step

The realization of this project is complex. Whether it is the integration of start-ups into one’s own traditional corporation or the development and further training of the existing workforce. Mostly organized into divisions with fixed functional, division of labor, and strictly efficiency-oriented responsibilities, target agreements, and external motivational incentives, it is not easy for traditional companies to implement this start-up mentality into their own structures from one day to the next.

Gaining agility and innovative strength requires a cultural leap to create autonomous conditions for employees. This creates freedom and employees are willing to get involved and make important decisions correctly. The prerequisite for this is the willingness of all those involved to collectively embrace leadership in order to compete for the best solutions, take responsibility, and deal openly with mistakes.

Development based on your own circumstances

Based on a thorough assessment, you can determine which development steps are most sensible for you to take to achieve your goal. The prevailing corporate culture and strategic vision play a central role in the analysis: Which disruptive factors, hierarchies, management approaches, working models, and communication patterns hinder the transition to the desired agile, innovative, and sustainable corporate development?

The success of such a change process depends crucially on the extent to which employees are involved and their uncertainties about the new situation are overcome. Understanding and recognizing the most important values of an agile corporate culture is also a prerequisite here: curiosity (about new things), trust (between managers and employees), reflection (on one’s own actions), critical thinking (the right way to deal with mistakes), and commitment (responsible and courageous action) are the magic words in this context.

With professional facilitation and the right coaching and training, cognitive, emotional, and social transformation skills can be built and developed in equal measure, ensuring the best possible quality of transition. This requires preparatory work. But once this has been done, nothing stands in the way of an agile and innovative corporate culture.

The authors of this article are Stefanie Peters, Founder & CEO of enable2grow, and Andreas Käter, Managing Partner of LNE GmbH.