The Limits of Innovation in Intrapreneurship: A Systematic Review

Innovation in intrapreneurship emerges as a significant phenomenon that enhances the sustainability and profitability of organizations. Organizations can profit from the innovation of employees if they can remove the factors that limit intrapreneurship. This study, therefore, explored the factors that limit innovation in intrapreneurship. The systematic literature review approach was employed. Relevant studies were searched from various well-established academic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct, Emerald, and Google Scholar. A mix of keywords and Boolean operators that included terms like “intrapreneurship,” “entrepreneurial behavior,” “corporate entrepreneurship,” “employee innovation,” “innovative work behavior,” “innovation constraints,” and “organizational innovation” were used for the search. A predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria guided the screening and selection of suitable studies from the pool of articles that were identified from the search. A total of 17 studies were chosen for the final review. The analysis revealed organizational and individual-level limits to innovation. At the organizational level, the factors identified include resource constraints, bureaucracy, rigid structures, procedural barriers, organizational culture and intrapreneurial environment, leadership style and management support, and HR systems, incentives, and reward structures. Further, the individual level limits included qualifications, skills, and cognitive style, self-efficacy and perceived control, employee satisfaction and motivation, and attitudes of employees, management, and colleagues. The findings of the study contribute to the literature by conceptualizing limits to innovation in intraprenusrhsip as the interaction between individual and organizational factors. The study concludes by making recommendations for practice and direction for future studies.