Application of SLM in larger organisations

Although the majority of the cases and examples in this chapter have been focused on the entrepreneur, the SLM concept can be applied to intrapreneurship (that is, used for internal innovation within an organisation). The nature of SLM usually precludes it from being applicable to larger organisations particularly in regards to the intra-niche focused aspects of the concept. However, recent trends in recognising the value of letting the personal lives of the companys employees inform their decision making and product development processes have given rise to the opportunity for SLM to be part of larger organisations.

For SLM to operate in a larger organisational context, the structure of the firm must be such that it allows for open communication between the different levels of staff and actively encourages innovation. Employees may identify a need in the market based on their personal experiences, either as a result of working with the company or in their personal lives, and the company must be sufficiently flexible to take on new ideas that reflect such needs.

SLM can, however, be constrained in a larger company context given the need for organisations to develop new products within the appropriate confines of the brand and what it stands for. One company that has been able to adopt a philosophy approaching SLM is Virgin. The Virgin brand is flexible enough to encompass a wide range of apparently disconnected product ideas, many of which have emerged as a result of listening to the staff of the organisation and developing the concept with an SLM approach.