Intrapreneurship in the Healthcare Sector: Stimulating Idea Generation through an Inspiration Wall

Abstract

Certain structures in the healthcare system hinder the innovative environment for employ-ees. However, innovations are crucial to enable the best possible treatment of patients and to miti-gate the increasing cost pressure. Therefore, we are investigating how the quantity and quality of employee-driven ideas can be enhanced in hospi-tals. Through DSR research, we are developing an incentive mechanism that can be employed in the hospital setting. It is based on the theory of nudg-ing and aims to subtly motivate employees to sub-mit more innovative ideas. The results demon-strate that (1) nudging for intrapreneurship in the healthcare sector is promising, (2) besides the incentive mechanism, organizational enablers are also important for intrapreneurship, and (3) an inspiration wall may combat the challenges pre-sent at hospitals hindering intrapreneurship.