Evaluation of the intrapreneurship orientation in a pharmaceutical manufacturing company in KwaZulu-Natal.
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Date
2022
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Abstract
The pharmaceutical industry in South Africa is considered a knowledge-intensive sector, with
sophisticated consumers, world-class clinical skills, excellent infrastructure, and an established
policy and regulatory environment. However, recent global business disruptions, including the
COVID-19 pandemic, with its ensuing socio-economic sequelae, have highlighted the importance
of an innovation or intrapreneurship orientation in pharmaceutical companies, where agility and
responsiveness is pivotal - not just for surviving, but also thriving and creating value. It is in this
context that intrapreneurship can be leveraged to spur innovation, augment business renewal,
enhance organisational performance and ensure sustainability. The objectives of this study were to
evaluate the nature and extent of the intrapreneurship orientation of the company’s managerial
employees, to identify the strengths and weaknesses that influence intrapreneurship orientation at
the company, to investigate the relationship between the company’s intrapreneurship orientation
and organisational culture, and finally to explore strategies to augment the intrapreneurship
orientation of the company’s managers. This sequential mixed methods explanatory study evaluated
the nature and extent of intrapreneurship orientation of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company
located in KwaZulu-Natal, using a sample of 55 managers, employing a self-administered online
questionnaire for the quantitative research phase, and a focus group discussion of 10 managers for
the qualitative research phase. The findings revealed a suboptimal intrapreneurship orientation,
with weaknesses revolving around the management support, organisational structure and culture,
as well as the availability and orchestration of resources. The organisation’s strengths were
underpinned by the proactiveness and learning orientation of its managerial employees.
Recommendations to the organisation include the development of a structure for innovation and
intrapreneurship, the performance of a cultural survey as a first step in establishing a culture of
innovation, collaboration and continuous learning, and the development and implementation of an
innovation balanced scorecard to manage innovation-related performance.
Description
Master’s Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.