The role of planned organizational change in corporate entrepreneurship

In this paper, the corporate entrepreneurship concept is complemented by the contributions from planned organizational change models. Resulting from entrepreneurial endeavors undertaken by both individuals and groups within established organizations, corporate entrepreneurship leads to innovation or the regeneration of the existing and the creation of new businesses within the existing companies. However, there is little research in the change process through which entrepreneurial endeavors are realized. This paper seeks to close this gap by synthesizing the contributions of the most cited planned organizational change models, resulting in the activities or steps that, as the change agent, the internal entrepreneur should undertake in order to implement a corporate entrepreneurship project. Based on Lewin’s model (unfreezing – move – refreezing), these activities include creating the awareness of the necessity of change, creating and communicating a vision, preparing for changes, implementing changes, facilitating changes, the institutionalizing and monitoring of changes. Thereby, the corporate entrepreneurship concept is complemented and made more realistic in practice.