Part 1: Creativity Tops the List - Office Chatani Reveals Key Traits of Intrapreneurs in Major Japanese Corporations

Office Chatani, Inc. (CEO: Masayuki Chatani) has announced the results of a survey they conducted on “intrapreneurs” in large companies, targeting those with over 1,000 employees. These results shed light on the actual state of business creation personnel in these companies.

Background

The world is currently in what has been called the VUCA age, where the business world is rapidly changing and uncertainty is growing. As the market and customers' needs change by the second, companies are expected to respond to these needs with flexibility and innovation. Under these circumstances, business creation is an essential initiative to maintain and strengthen a company’s competitive position. On the other hand, due to the scale of resources and complexity of their decision-making process, managers cannot focus solely on the business environment, but must also face challenges such as rigid internal organization and a risk-averse culture while striving to generate new value. Among them, “intrapreneurs,” or one who creates new businesses while working within an organization, have been attracting attention. Large companies have a strong desire for individuals willing to go against the existing business structure and culture and generate new value within the company. To that end, Office Chatani, Inc. conducted a survey targeting managers within large companies regarding intrapreneurship in such companies.

Survey summary

- Among companies with over 1,000 employees, over half of them have personnel who are considered “intrapreneurs”
- The largest age group for “intrapreneurs” is 40-49
- The top three common skills among intrapreneurs are 1. Creativity and Imagination, 2. Business Strategy Acumen, and 3. Autonomy and Independent Action
- Many companies are working on “supporting internal and external personal networking” for the purpose of developing intrapreneurs
- The most important environmental factor for successful intrapreneurship is considered to be “a corporate culture that is tolerant of new challenges”
- Among companies indicating that they did not have any “intrapreneurs,” over 70% were not taking initiatives to cultivate intrapreneurship in their company
-  Among companies without “intrapreneurs,” many named “providing training and educational opportunities for new business” as an initiative for cultivating intrapreneurship
- Among companies without “intrapreneurs,” the top three challenges or obstacles for cultivating intrapreneurship were said to be 1. “Lack of a role model in the company”, 2. “Lack of internal resources (time, budget, personnel)”, and 3. “Lack of a system or culture to evaluate challenges.”

Survey overview

Period: April 4-15, 2025
Method: Online survey
Target: Managers at companies with over 1,000 employees (men and women from 20s to 60s)
Total surveyed: 107 people
Monitored by: RC Research Data

Among companies with over 1,000 employees, over half of them have personnel who are considered “intrapreneurs”For the first question, “Do you have any “intrapreneurs” in your company?”, the top responses were “No.” with 46.7%, “Yes, a fixed number.” with 32.7%, and “Yes, we have many.” at 20.6%. Through these responses, it was found that more than half of companies with over 1,000 employees have intrapreneurs.

The largest age group for “intrapreneurs” is 40-49
The next question was “What is the largest age group for intrapreneurs active in your company?” The top two responses were 40-49 (40.4%) and 30-39 (19.3%), so it was found that the most common age group for intrapreneurs was 40-49.

- The top three common skills among intrapreneurs are 1. Creativity and Imagination, 2. Business Strategy Acumen, and 3. Autonomy and Independent Action
Following that, respondents were asked “What are the common traits or skills among intrapreneurs active in your company?” The top responses were “Creativity and Imagination” with 54.4%, “Business Strategy Acumen” with 50.9%, and “Autonomy and Independent Action” with 49.1%. In addition, a number of other options outside the top three exceeded 40%, meaning that a large number of traits and skills are common among intrapreneurs.

- Many companies are working on “supporting internal and external personal networking” for the purpose of developing intrapreneurs

Next, companies that indicated that they have intrapreneurs in their company were asked “How do you develop intrapreneurs at your company?”, with the top answers being “By supporting internal and external personal networking” with 43.9%, “By introducing an internal entrepreneurship system and new business solicitation system” with 42.1%, and “Through mentorship by management and senior employees,” “By participating in external training and seminars,” and “by introducing an evaluation and reward system that encourages proactive challenges” each tied at 38.6%. Based on these results, it was found that many companies are working on “supporting internal and external personal networking” for the purpose of developing intrapreneurs.

Survey conducted by:
Office Chatani, Inc.
Location: Tokyo
CEO: Masayuki Chatani
Description of business: Creative Management Support, Lectures, Writing, etc.
URL: https://www.office-chatani.com

Office Chatani, Inc. supports creative management.

CEO Masayuki Chatani, author of “Behind the Scenes at PlayStation: Former CTO Talks about 16 Years of Creation,” has previously served as CTO and EVP of a global video game business, an executive officer of an internet conglomerate, CEO of a professional firm’s digital group company, the Japan Head of the digital team at a strategic consulting firm, and other positions.

This Press Release has also been published on VRITIMES