Target Hired Entrepreneurs So It Could Think Like A Start-Up

This is a very fascinating article about Target’s recent decision to hire social entrepreneurs to lead its “Entrepreneur in Residence” Program (EIR).

The article writes of the EIR Program: “Launched in March of 2015, the program serves as an in-house incubator for disruptive business ideas. The goal: To help Target, with its nearly 1,800 stores and 340,000 employees, think like a startup.”

The article touches on numerous aspects of our class discussion: disruptive innovation, design thinking, benefits of entrepreneurship, differences between managing a larger company vs. managing a start-up company, and “corporate roadblocks” often involving the law.

The article states: “On paper, innovating a traditional company from the inside out seems like a solid idea. In reality, it remains to be seen whether Target can incorporate new, untested practices into its long-term strategy.”

A strong article that offers an inside look at Target’s business strategizing — and at how entrepreneurs are adapting to working at a Fortune 500 company. Indeed, as one EIR leader states: “There are inherent cultural tensions that stem from operating a startup within a Fortune 500 company.”

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