The Intrapreneur’s Dilemma: Stuck Between Core and Explore
- Sarah Bodo
- Sep 28
- 4 min read
“If you want to innovate, just use Friday afternoons.” I have heard that sentence so many times. It sounds easy, right? But for anyone who has lived both the demands of the core business and the spark of exploration, you know it is not that simple.
I remember weeks when I was on call, responsible for critical IT systems in chemical plants. One hour you solved a server issue, the next you tried to join a project workshop about a new software interface. It felt impossible to concentrate on exploration when you never knew when the next urgent call would come. At the same time, I saw consultants working only on the project. They made huge progress because they could focus. I sometimes wondered, what am I doing wrong? Looking back, it was not me. It was the structure. They had the space to explore. I did not.
Later, when I joined a dedicated innovation hub, I finally had that space. Full focus on building something new. It was a relief. But even then, a second dilemma appeared. When our projects reached the point of handover to the scale organization, things got tough again. The core demanded reliability and speed, while our prototypes still needed time and flexibility.
That is what I call the intrapreneur’s dilemma: being pulled in two directions at the same time. The core keeps the company alive today. The explore builds the future. And intrapreneurs often stand right in the middle.
Why the balance is so hard
From my experience and my thesis research, the pull of the core is stronger. Core work has deadlines, budgets, KPIs. If a server goes down, you fix it immediately. Exploration, on the other hand, is about curiosity, testing, and often failing before something works. You cannot schedule creativity in a Friday afternoon time box.
“The essence of exploitation is the refinement and extension of existing competencies, technologies, and paradigms. The essence of exploration is experimentation with new alternatives.” - James March, 1991
The problem is that most companies tilt heavily toward the present. Incremental improvements are easier to measure, fund, and defend. Companies often try to manage explore with the same rules as exploit. They want quick ROI and predictable outcomes. But exploration is messy by nature. Treat it like the core, and you end up with innovation theater: nice slides, little impact.
What it does to intrapreneurs
When intrapreneurs are constantly pulled back into the core, the spark fades. Creativity is like a muscle. It needs training. If you never get to exercise it, it weakens. Frustration grows, and eventually people leave.
Being too far in explore is not the answer either. If you never connect back to the core, you lose credibility. People stop trusting that your work brings value. So you are stuck in between: too much core and nothing changes, too much explore and nothing sticks.
What helps
In my interviews and experience, two things really make a difference.
First, sponsorship that protects. A sponsor on paper is not enough. You need someone who clears the way, defends your project when resistance appears, and challenges you to sharpen your idea. Without this protection, intrapreneurs get lost in politics.
Second, clarity of direction. If the company says “we want to be sustainable by 2030,” then give intrapreneurs the mandate to test and figure out what that means in practice. Even if the end picture is not clear, at least there is a north star. Without it, you get lost between short-term fires and long-term hopes.
Reflection for you
If you are an intrapreneur: What do you need in your week to stay curious and creative? Is it a block of protected time, a different environment, or the right allies?
If you are a leader: Where is your company stuck right now, and could intrapreneurs help you find new paths? Do you give them the clarity and protection they need to focus?
Closing
The intrapreneur’s dilemma is real. I have lived it on both sides. But with the right environment and leadership, you can create a balance where the core keeps the business steady and the explore keeps it alive for the future.
This is what researchers O’Reilly and Tushman (2013) call organizational ambidexterity: the ability to pursue exploration and exploitation at the same time. March (1991) described the tension. O’Reilly and Tushman gave us a way to design around it. And as Steve Blank reminds us:
“Great companies need both product people to discover the future and process people to scale it.”
My research confirmed how rare and difficult this balance is inside companies. In a later post, we will go deeper into organizational ambidexterity itself and explore practical ways leaders and intrapreneurs can make it work.
Sarah 🌊
Curious to dive deeper? March (1991), O’Reilly & Tushman (2013), and Steve Blank (2019) have shaped much of the thinking around this dilemma.
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