---
_id: '60947'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: <jats:title>ABSTRACT</jats:title><jats:p>Intrapreneurs—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 <jats:italic>intrapreneur
    identity illusion</jats:italic> 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.</jats:p>
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.
    <i>Journal of Product Innovation Management</i>. Published online 2025. doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798">10.1111/jpim.12798</a>'
  apa: 'Starmann, F.-A., Tomin, S., Hubner-Benz, S., &#38; Kabst, R. (2025). The Intrapreneur
    Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate
    Venturing. <i>Journal of Product Innovation Management</i>, Article jpim. 12798.
    <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798">https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798</a>'
  bibtex: '@article{Starmann_Tomin_Hubner-Benz_Kabst_2025, title={The Intrapreneur
    Identity Illusion: Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate
    Venturing}, DOI={<a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798">10.1111/jpim.12798</a>},
    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.” <i>Journal of Product Innovation Management</i>,
    2025. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798">https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798</a>.'
  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,” <i>Journal of Product Innovation Management</i>, Art. no. jpim. 12798,
    2025, doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798">10.1111/jpim.12798</a>.'
  mla: 'Starmann, Frederic-Alexander, et al. “The Intrapreneur Identity Illusion:
    Unraveling the Identity Work of Intrapreneurs in Internal Corporate Venturing.”
    <i>Journal of Product Innovation Management</i>, jpim. 12798, Wiley, 2025, doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12798">10.1111/jpim.12798</a>.'
  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'
...