Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

Social intrapreneurs occupy an intersectional space within the large corporate form at the crossroads of innovation, profit, and social good. They are often described as "disruptive" because they devise new ways to tackle problems, usually social in nature, in a manner that disrupts traditional operating models or long-standing assumptions. Although much has been written about social intrapreneurs in managerial literature, legal literature has been silent. This Article reverses that trend and develops a theory of social intrapreneurship from a corporate law perspective. Specifically, this Article posits that social intrapreneurship in terms of praxis, characteristics, and process can be conceptualized as serving a bridging function between discrete parts of a corporation's business and, on a meta-level, between the canonical schism of "profit" and "social good." To be clear, the argument advanced in this Article is not that social intrapreneurship is the antidote to all corporate ills, but rather that in its most successful form, social intrapreneurship redefines the boundaries of a corporation's business and social potential. Social intrapreneurship has implications for broader policy debates, such as those related to matters of corporate purpose, the choice of organizational forms, and the need for tri-sector cooperation.

Share

COinS