What is an intraprise?
- the prefix “intra” – meaning “on the inside or within” (https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/intra-); and
- the word “enterprise” – meaning “a unit of economic organization or activity; especially: a business organization” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enterprise).
The use of “intra” also forces a focus on the “inside” of an organization; this was one of the specific reasons for using the word “intraprise” instead of “enterprise” for our name because we focus on the business processes, supporting technologies, flow of information, and human capital within an organization. These elements are generally managed by the accounting, information technology (IT), and human resource functions within an organization, and these are the three functions that we normally partner with to unleash the synergy within our clients. (See diagram to right.) | Diagram: Cross-functional view of the intraprise. |
Why TechKnowlogies?
- knowledge of which technology is appropriate for a given situation (i.e. technology or vendor selection),
- knowledge of how to put the technology into operation (i.e. system implementation), and
- knowledge of how to use that technology and ensure adoption by teams (i.e. user adoption and training).
What is the role of Organizational Development in the intraprise?
But if you’ve been paying attention to the earlier part of this article, you’d realize that the above only includes the accounting and IT elements of the intraprise. So the last part is the human resources (HR) element, and that is in our core service of organizational development. According to Swanson (2008), organizational development (OD) is focused on unleashing human expertise to improve the organization’s performance; whereas Training & Development (T&D) is focused on developing human expertise to improve a person’s performance. Both are HR functions and both are needed to develop an organization that has high performance at the individual, group, process, and system levels.
Organizational development is often the domain of management consultants or included as part of the HR function. The issue is that most management consultants, especially those from large consulting firms, have a very broad background (e.g. MBA) and don’t have depth of experience in the actual management and operation of a successful organization. Many HR departments are also overly people-focused and unless they have strong OD practitioners who truly take a holistic view of the organization and its needs, you may end up with a training solution that will transfer knowledge and skills to a person, but not align their behaviors or the design of the process with the organization’s strategic vision.
IntrapriseTechKnowlogies in Summary
- Accounting = CPA firm: finance, governance, risk, and controls
- Information Technology = technology management
- Human Resources = organizational development
Our name has withstood the test of time for the last 15 years. And as the world transitions from the information age to the knowledge era, I know that our expertise in unlocking the potential of human capital via strategic technology-based innovation will drive synergies in our clients for years to come.
Contact Us to find out how we can help unlock the synergy in your organization.