Willow Foundation Project and Intrapreneurship - Coursework Example

 Willow Foundation Project and Intrapreneurship Introduction The ability to work as an intrapreneur is one which can lead to several opportunities as well as different understandings about one’s capabilities. In a current project, there was a focus on managerial roles of several members of a team, specifically to assist the Willows foundation, which provides assistance to those with chronic illnesses. The main objective was to work as a support for the foundation by offering support and working toward a fundraising event which would help in supporting the foundation. By doing this, there would be the ability to provide help with those in need of assistance with the illnesses. To completely allow this project to move into completion, there was a focus on strategy, motivation and management that was based on meeting end results and assisting with those in need. By focusing on this, there was the ability to work effectively with those in the community. Profile of the Community The Willows Foundation is one which is focused on assisting those that are ill and between the ages of 16-40. The objective of the organization is to ensure that basic care as well as health care is provided to those in need while assuring that there is less stress among those that are moving through the difficulties with health. The objective is not only based on providing basic assistance but also moves into offering Special Days, which allows those who are facing chronic illness to have times to get out of the condition and away from the continuous pressures and mental distress which comes from having a life threatening disease. By organizing specific activities, there is the ability for the Willows Foundation to bring peace of mind to those who are facing a life – threatening disease, while assisting with types of recovery for those who are in need (Willow Foundation, 2011). The concept of raising funds for the Willow Foundation was followed by the location which was associated with the project. The group which was focused on this comes from various regions of the world, including India, Pakistan and Nigeria. This provides a different outlook and sets of diversity on the main organization. With this approach in mind, was also the component of finding a way to raise the most funds for the project. This was done by creating a target market with a focus on a smaller market segment. The segment was based in Triton Square and had only the competition of Starbucks and Costa. The community is one which knew of the objectives of our organization and the Willow Foundation and it was believed that the promotion would be easily supported with the needs of the organization. How the Activity Evolved The beginning of the planning process was associated with finding an aim and objective as well as an end goal of what we could do with the managerial process. Throughout the project the aim and objectives remained the same and allowed the group to remain unified with what was occurring. After we had decided that the planning needed to incorporate the focus on a humanitarian project with a fundraiser, then there was the ability to move forward in defining the specific goals and working toward achieving the end results with each individual taking the necessary steps. The decision to work with the Willow Foundation was based on research which was conducted as a group. The main ideal was to fulfill the aim of giving back to the community and to work toward highlighting an organization which was interested in assisting others. With the research conducted by the group, it was found that the Willow Foundation was one of the only foundations which offered the Special Days and opportunities for those with life – threatening illnesses, all which provided and implemented a different approach to disease and the components which were a part of this. As a group, it was determined that this would work effectively with reaching the main objective of giving back to the community through the use of a fundraiser. The fundraiser was determined through brainstorming and was chosen by ease of use, speaking with the organization and determining which would get effective results. After defining the organization and the ideal of creating a fundraiser, then we determined which managerial positions needed to be held by each of the individuals, specifically after deciding what the fundraiser should be. It was understood that each individual needed to have the same sense of managerial duties and leadership to ensure the completion of the project worked effectively. After outlining everything which needed to be done, there was a decision of which individual would take specific positions, all which was done either through votes and discussions or with each individual of the group volunteering for a specific responsibility. This allowed the rest of the project to flow smoothly. The promotions which occurred with the project were based on the managerial roles which each held as well as what was discussed as the most effective. There were outlines based on an individual taking specific duties and managing the requirements for this. If something needed altered, then this was done through the group and was based on a decision by every individual of what would work even more effectively. The promotions were then based on ease of use, getting the attention of those in the target market and making sure that there was communication and awareness with the team members, environment and those who would be interested in supporting the Willow Foundation. Another concept used with the promotions is based on the decision of what to use and not to use. The promotions which were used were based on finding ways to work with a shoestring budget specifically so more money could be raised for the foundation. To balance this, the only advertising which was done was through the Internet, specifically through resources such as social media like Linked In. There was also a promotional banner which was made at no cost. By using tools and resources instead of adding into the costs with the promotions, there was the ability to use time and energy instead of focusing on the needed money that is used for larger budgets. The ability for the managers to take the needed responsibility for the promotions without spending money then becomes the main focus of those that are in the target market. While the process went smoothly with the planning and changes of the project, it can be noted that this was based on two components of leadership. With a multiple team, there is the need to have continuous communication and discussions, specifically so each individual understands the aims and objectives while planning takes place. The success of the project was dependent on the communication which was used as well as the open platform where each individual held the same responsibilities and roles within the project. It should also be noted that the team of multiple members consisted of diverse belief systems and understandings. However, the use of communication and the ability to effectively speak about each issue helped to create a different dynamic and which each member understood his or her role and which helped with easy implementation of the project. Defining the aims and objectives first and keeping to this outside of the different belief systems helped with the unified roles of the team and allowed for changes to remain natural within the group (Mortensen et al, 2007: 215). Resource Constraints The resource constraints of this particular project were based on the conditions of the managers of the team as well as the expectations to be achieved. The managers were all from the college setting and were required to place an investment in the initial project, specifically for the purchase of the donuts and tickets to the central area for sales. If this weren’t constrained, then different effects would have been made, specifically by getting more team members and changing the amount of money which was acquired from the fundraiser. The resources were furthered by the amount of time, specifically with one date which was used to raise the money. This resource restraint; however, led to a stronger focus on the target market while ensuring that there was a space which could be set up that would provide the donations to be given the proper return for the community. Organization and Community Issues The organizational and community issues with this project were minimized, specifically because of the focus which was taken and the decisions which were made throughout the project. When first beginning this project, there was brainstorming which was completed and a general consensus over what should be done with the project. The team worked together to ensure that the success of the project was completed and that each individual was able to contribute to the end results. From this, we were able to reach our goals as an organization while ensuring that all aspects were cared for. This was further done by speaking with the Willow Foundation and ensuring that everything was clear with the aim and objectives before beginning the project. For a non – profit organization, there is a specialized facilitation which allows the behavior among employees to be based on taking personal initiative and communicating correctly. Each individual is able to carry a similar internal focus toward a project while being interested in assistance to those in the community. By having this objective, it allowed the organization to create a safety net over any issues which would have been raised (Stull, 2005: 15). The main issue which was raised in terms of the community was based on finding the correct target market and location. Initially, there was a focus on going to the college campus to sell the donuts. However, there was then the realization that this may not produce conducive results because of the specific lifestyle and concerns of college students. The location which was chosen was based on a network which was already in the area as well as the low amounts of competition for selling the donuts. These two positive benefits helped with the overall sales. While this worked effectively, it didn’t provide the use of resources and development in a way which would be conducive for a longer term and would create problems with gathering interest in the community and continuing to raise money for the Willow Foundation. The need to find target markets as well as to gather interest is one which shows a specific problem, specifically which requires innovation and recognition of lifestyle interests and culture within the organization. Implementation and Outcomes The implementation of the project and the outcomes produced positive results and helped with the overall goals to be reached. The implementation included the process of communicating with the groups and the foundation, working with the location which we were in to support the foundation and ensuring that all of the donuts were sold. In the end, the profits and goals were reached as all the donuts were sold and the money was given to the Willow Foundation. The impact which was made was not done through a large amount of promotion, specifically which was only done with basic flyers and a sign to sell the donuts. However, the goals were still reached because of the communication which was used with the community, selected individuals and the Willow Foundation. The ability to use very little promotion while still creating a success is one which relates directly to the ideologies of intrapreneurship and the community settings which were associated with this. The organization which was used created a high amount of impact, specifically because of the communication used, ability to make the necessary adjustments and by investigating the situation. The research of the situation was followed by developing the team and understanding what needed to be done for a successful project. This was followed by understanding the community settings and adjusting where necessary. The strong approach used by the team was able to get the results of selling the donuts while allowing the promotions to remain secondary to the overall success of the promotion. By each individual taking a sense of leadership and analyzing the situation through the entrepreneurial roles and placement of managing a specific aspect of the team, there was the ability to reach the necessary goals within the team (Heilbrunn, 2005: 4). Statement of Income and Expenditure The finances which were used for the project led to a profit with the end results used while reaching the goal of raising close to £300 for the overall project. The balance sheet of the related profit and loss is seen in the table below. Costs Total Krispy Kreme Donuts £3.99 / dozen £100 Train tickets £7.25 £45 £145 Profit Sales £1 £300 Total Profit £155 The total amount of the donuts was sold for a £300 overall profit and for £155 after the donuts were sold. The ability to sell all the donuts and the profit which was made is an indicator not only of the financial management, but also links to the amount of leadership of each of the individuals as well as the strategies which were used for the overall success of the company. It is known that systematic differences change the results within an organization and alter the approaches which are used by those that are working within a company. The financial outcomes become a reflection of how the system is set up and what the focus is within the company (Zahra, 2002: 4). In this instance, the finances show that all the donuts were sold in a 4 hour time span. The amount of communication, system which was used and the approach to the promotions were used in a way which was effective. Recommendations While the project was successful because of the leadership roles which were taken, there are also other ideals which would have allowed for a better result with selling more donuts or using this as a stronger fundraiser. The project was successful because of the system which was created, ability to research and define what needed to be done and the strong amount of leadership which came from a diverse group of individuals. Each of these components, as well as the amount of communication by each individual led to the success of the project. However, during the process, there were also some hesitations and aspects of not knowing with the overall decision to take this approach to the project. The first limitation was based on the amount of knowledge which we had as a group. Each of the members came from a diverse background and was not a part of the culture or country before coming to this university. There was also a limited amount of knowledge in the understanding of resources, how to be a part of the fundraisers and the cultural relationship which should be created. The limited amount of knowledge with the group led to some inabilities to focus on what was needed for the project outside of creating a system and researching what should be done. If there was more experience with the fundraising, then it may have changed the outcomes with the project and led to a different approach with selling the donuts and receiving more money in response. The amount of resources which were needed as well as the experience were the two factors which would have heightened the project and led to better results. Reflection The initiatives with the project helped me with a deeper understanding about my ability to take a leadership role and to work as an intrapreneur with others. When working on the project, there were emotional and psychological responses which led to hesitations. First, I wasn’t as familiar with the role in this particular setting or with the surrounding resources. This was my first introduction to the Willow Foundation and was one of the first experiences which we all had with fundraisers. At times, I felt hesitant with issues which might come up or with the factors which might prevent the success of the group from raising the funds. However, I used these thoughts and feelings to propel my sense of leadership forward and to make sure that there weren’t any missed components when putting together the specific needs to make the event a success. I also made sure that the personal reactions weren’t noticed by the group as I knew that others in the group would have the same response if this came up. Choosing how to approach the project and overcome my main hesitations then became an area where I was able to build in strength toward the project. There were several parts of the project which I enjoyed as well as others which seemed tedious. I enjoyed the actual event and knowing that there was a difference which was made. I also enjoyed the group discussions which took place initially and the ability to solve problems as a group. When the communication was working well, there was a feeling of satisfaction and assurance that everything would work effectively with the group. However, I didn’t enjoy some of the discussions which were carried out without purpose. There were also several barriers which had to be overcome which would have been unnecessary if there was more experience among the group as well as less limitations with the resources available. I believe that the role which I played will help with my future as an entrepreneur. I learned that the concept of intrapreneurship is one which demands communication, continuous evaluation and the ability to move dynamically with research and development within the group. I also understand that the ability to be a leader is one which requires specific characteristics while others should be left behind. As a leader, I found myself being hesitant toward making statements about feelings or speculations while finding ways to solve problems, listen to others and find solutions without involving my personal viewpoint. By doing this, there was the ability to change my perspective about the idea of leadership and how to filter information which should or shouldn’t be included. For my future, I believe that these skills will become invaluable and will lead to even more alternatives to building more successful projects for those that are helping others in the community. References Heilbrunn, S. (2005). “The Impact of Organizational Change on Entrepreneurship in Community Settings.” Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development 15 (3). Mortensen, Mark, Anna Woolley, Michael O ‘ Leary. (2007). “Conditions Enabling Effective Multiple Team Membership.” Virtuality and Virtualization (236). Stull, M. (2005). “Intrapreneurship in Nonprofit Organizations: Examining the Factors that Facilitate Entrepreneurial Behavior Among Employees.” Digital Case 67 (2). Willow Foundation. (2011). About the Willow Foundation. Retrieved from: http://www.willowfoundation.org.uk/WhoWeAre. Zahra, SA. (2002). “Predictors and Financial Outcomes of Corporate Entrepreneurship.” Critical Perspectives of Business and Management 57 (6). Read More