--- _id: '60947' abstract: - lang: eng text: ABSTRACTIntrapreneurs—employees participating in internal corporate venturing (ICV) programs—are vital in nurturing entrepreneurship within organizations. While existing literature has extensively studied ICV at the organizational level, research on individual‐level processes remains limited, particularly regarding intrapreneurs' identity‐related conflicts over time. However, to design programs and interventions that unlock employees' creative potential and promote innovation, it is crucial to understand these individual dynamics. We conducted an 18‐month longitudinal study of 21 intrapreneurs within an ICV program, developing a process model and theory of intrapreneurs' identity work. We find that aspiring intrapreneurs construct an “idealized entrepreneur identity” that fundamentally conflicts with their employee identity. To maintain a coherent sense of self, they either safeguard their emerging entrepreneur identity by denying corporate dependence and eventually opposing the organization or they realign with their employee role, forsaking their intrapreneurial aspirations. These findings challenge the implicit assumption of a distinct intrapreneur identity, demonstrating how and why intrapreneurs struggle to construct a coherent and positively valued identity as intrapreneurs. We term this phenomenon the intrapreneur identity illusion and highlight its detrimental effects for both individuals and organizations. Our research contributes to understanding the individual‐level foundations of corporate entrepreneurship and offers broader implications for innovation management. article_number: jpim.12798 author: - first_name: Frederic-Alexander full_name: Starmann, Frederic-Alexander id: '63338' last_name: Starmann - first_name: Slawa full_name: Tomin, Slawa id: '29570' last_name: Tomin - first_name: Sylvia full_name: Hubner-Benz, Sylvia id: '100407' last_name: Hubner-Benz - first_name: Rüdiger full_name: Kabst, Rüdiger id: '42362' last_name: Kabst citation: ama: 'Starmann F-A, Tomin S, Hubner-Benz S, Kabst R. The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing. Journal of Product Innovation Management. Published online 2025. doi:10.1111/jpim.12798' apa: 'Starmann, F.-A., Tomin, S., Hubner-Benz, S., & Kabst, R. (2025). The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing. Journal of Product Innovation Management, Article jpim. 12798. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798' bibtex: '@article{Starmann_Tomin_Hubner-Benz_Kabst_2025, title={The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing}, DOI={10.1111/jpim.12798}, number={jpim. 12798}, journal={Journal of Product Innovation Management}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Starmann, Frederic-Alexander and Tomin, Slawa and Hubner-Benz, Sylvia and Kabst, Rüdiger}, year={2025} }' chicago: 'Starmann, Frederic-Alexander, Slawa Tomin, Sylvia Hubner-Benz, and Rüdiger Kabst. “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798.' ieee: 'F.-A. Starmann, S. Tomin, S. Hubner-Benz, and R. Kabst, “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, Art. no. jpim. 12798, 2025, doi: 10.1111/jpim.12798.' mla: 'Starmann, Frederic-Alexander, et al. “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, jpim. 12798, Wiley, 2025, doi:10.1111/jpim.12798.' short: F.-A. Starmann, S. Tomin, S. Hubner-Benz, R. Kabst, Journal of Product Innovation Management (2025). date_created: 2025-08-19T08:40:05Z date_updated: 2025-08-19T08:40:18Z department: - _id: '371' doi: 10.1111/jpim.12798 language: - iso: eng publication: Journal of Product Innovation Management publication_identifier: issn: - 0737-6782 - 1540-5885 publication_status: published publisher: Wiley status: public title: 'The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing' type: journal_article user_id: '100439' year: '2025' ... --- _id: '60944' abstract: - lang: eng text: ABSTRACTIntrapreneurs—employees participating in internal corporate venturing (ICV) programs—are vital in nurturing entrepreneurship within organizations. While existing literature has extensively studied ICV at the organizational level, research on individual‐level processes remains limited, particularly regarding intrapreneurs' identity‐related conflicts over time. However, to design programs and interventions that unlock employees' creative potential and promote innovation, it is crucial to understand these individual dynamics. We conducted an 18‐month longitudinal study of 21 intrapreneurs within an ICV program, developing a process model and theory of intrapreneurs' identity work. We find that aspiring intrapreneurs construct an “idealized entrepreneur identity” that fundamentally conflicts with their employee identity. To maintain a coherent sense of self, they either safeguard their emerging entrepreneur identity by denying corporate dependence and eventually opposing the organization or they realign with their employee role, forsaking their intrapreneurial aspirations. These findings challenge the implicit assumption of a distinct intrapreneur identity, demonstrating how and why intrapreneurs struggle to construct a coherent and positively valued identity as intrapreneurs. We term this phenomenon the intrapreneur identity illusion and highlight its detrimental effects for both individuals and organizations. Our research contributes to understanding the individual‐level foundations of corporate entrepreneurship and offers broader implications for innovation management. article_number: jpim.12798 author: - first_name: Frederic‐Alexander full_name: Starmann, Frederic‐Alexander last_name: Starmann - first_name: Slawa full_name: Tomin, Slawa last_name: Tomin - first_name: Sylvia full_name: Hubner‐Benz, Sylvia last_name: Hubner‐Benz - first_name: Rüdiger full_name: Kabst, Rüdiger last_name: Kabst citation: ama: 'Starmann F, Tomin S, Hubner‐Benz S, Kabst R. The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing. Journal of Product Innovation Management. Published online 2025. doi:10.1111/jpim.12798' apa: 'Starmann, F., Tomin, S., Hubner‐Benz, S., & Kabst, R. (2025). The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing. Journal of Product Innovation Management, Article jpim. 12798. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798' bibtex: '@article{Starmann_Tomin_Hubner‐Benz_Kabst_2025, title={The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing}, DOI={10.1111/jpim.12798}, number={jpim. 12798}, journal={Journal of Product Innovation Management}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Starmann, Frederic‐Alexander and Tomin, Slawa and Hubner‐Benz, Sylvia and Kabst, Rüdiger}, year={2025} }' chicago: 'Starmann, Frederic‐Alexander, Slawa Tomin, Sylvia Hubner‐Benz, and Rüdiger Kabst. “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798.' ieee: 'F. Starmann, S. Tomin, S. Hubner‐Benz, and R. Kabst, “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, Art. no. jpim. 12798, 2025, doi: 10.1111/jpim.12798.' mla: 'Starmann, Frederic‐Alexander, et al. “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, jpim. 12798, Wiley, 2025, doi:10.1111/jpim.12798.' short: F. Starmann, S. Tomin, S. Hubner‐Benz, R. Kabst, Journal of Product Innovation Management (2025). date_created: 2025-08-19T08:34:48Z date_updated: 2025-08-19T08:34:53Z department: - _id: '371' doi: 10.1111/jpim.12798 language: - iso: eng publication: Journal of Product Innovation Management publication_identifier: issn: - 0737-6782 - 1540-5885 publication_status: published publisher: Wiley status: public title: 'The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing' type: journal_article user_id: '100439' year: '2025' ... --- _id: '46634' author: - first_name: Sascha full_name: Alavi, Sascha last_name: Alavi - first_name: Eva full_name: Böhm, Eva id: '3043' last_name: Böhm orcid: 0000-0001-6053-1012 - first_name: Johannes full_name: Habel, Johannes last_name: Habel - first_name: Jan full_name: Wieseke, Jan last_name: Wieseke - first_name: Christian full_name: Schmitz, Christian last_name: Schmitz - first_name: Felix full_name: Brüggemann, Felix last_name: Brüggemann citation: ama: Alavi S, Böhm E, Habel J, Wieseke J, Schmitz C, Brüggemann F. The ambivalent role of monetary sales incentives in service innovation selling. Journal of Product Innovation Management. 2022;39(3):445-463. doi:10.1111/jpim.12600 apa: Alavi, S., Böhm, E., Habel, J., Wieseke, J., Schmitz, C., & Brüggemann, F. (2022). The ambivalent role of monetary sales incentives in service innovation selling. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 39(3), 445–463. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12600 bibtex: '@article{Alavi_Böhm_Habel_Wieseke_Schmitz_Brüggemann_2022, title={The ambivalent role of monetary sales incentives in service innovation selling}, volume={39}, DOI={10.1111/jpim.12600}, number={3}, journal={Journal of Product Innovation Management}, publisher={Wiley}, author={Alavi, Sascha and Böhm, Eva and Habel, Johannes and Wieseke, Jan and Schmitz, Christian and Brüggemann, Felix}, year={2022}, pages={445–463} }' chicago: 'Alavi, Sascha, Eva Böhm, Johannes Habel, Jan Wieseke, Christian Schmitz, and Felix Brüggemann. “The Ambivalent Role of Monetary Sales Incentives in Service Innovation Selling.” Journal of Product Innovation Management 39, no. 3 (2022): 445–63. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12600.' ieee: 'S. Alavi, E. Böhm, J. Habel, J. Wieseke, C. Schmitz, and F. Brüggemann, “The ambivalent role of monetary sales incentives in service innovation selling,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 39, no. 3, pp. 445–463, 2022, doi: 10.1111/jpim.12600.' mla: Alavi, Sascha, et al. “The Ambivalent Role of Monetary Sales Incentives in Service Innovation Selling.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 39, no. 3, Wiley, 2022, pp. 445–63, doi:10.1111/jpim.12600. short: S. Alavi, E. Böhm, J. Habel, J. Wieseke, C. Schmitz, F. Brüggemann, Journal of Product Innovation Management 39 (2022) 445–463. date_created: 2023-08-22T12:59:21Z date_updated: 2023-09-01T10:10:35Z department: - _id: '785' doi: 10.1111/jpim.12600 extern: '1' intvolume: ' 39' issue: '3' keyword: - Management of Technology and Innovation - Strategy and Management language: - iso: eng page: 445-463 publication: Journal of Product Innovation Management publication_identifier: issn: - 0737-6782 - 1540-5885 publication_status: published publisher: Wiley status: public title: The ambivalent role of monetary sales incentives in service innovation selling type: journal_article user_id: '49063' volume: 39 year: '2022' ...