CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (Oct. 16, 2020) – NewBoCo kicked off its fourth Intrapreneur Academy cohort on October 14th with 14 participants exclusively from Collins Aerospace.
This is the first time Intrapreneur Academy has been run with only one organization participating. It is also the first time the kickoff was held virtually.
“This creates the exciting opportunity to dive deeper into topics specific to the organization,” said Jennifer Murphy, NewBoCo’s Director of Innovation Services, who runs the Intrapreneur Academy Program. “Participants take what they learn and immediately apply it in the context of their work. We can then collaborate to focus on specific areas of development as they progress. This isn’t a ‘someday I might use it’ kind of program. Developing skills and mindsets to create fresh perspectives, solutions and opportunities is required in the environment Collins Aerospace is competing in right now.”
Murphy notes that Collins Aerospace has been a longtime advocate for building Intrapreneurship and has participated in every cohort since the Academy’s inception.
Cohort I graduate Jack Jordan, Senior Systems Engineer in the Advanced Systems Department, has been the lead coordinator on behalf of Collins Aerospace.
“IntrapreneurAcademy has been critical in shaping my mentality in everyday life, as well as my work life,” Jordan said. “It taught me that being innovative does not necessarily mean inventing the next, biggest breakthrough every day. There are mentalities, methods, cultures, and strategies that have to be kindled and maintained in order to drive innovative thinking forward, which in turn empower people to innovate on everything they do. Something as simple as ensuring all stakeholders know where a project is going lays the foundation work for a team to then be innovative in the final solution. This can often be a missed step. Academy taught me what to look for and what todo within myself to then communicate with stakeholders and drive innovations forward.”
Collins Aerospace has gone through several public changes over the past few years, from acquisition to spinoffs to dealing with the impact of the pandemic and major weather events. The skills Intrapreneur Academy participants gain enable them to sense, shape, and seize the challenges and opportunities they encounter through the events of 2020 and beyond.
Delivering Intrapreneur Academy virtually isn’t new, but how NewBoCo delivers it has been reimagined.
“We had to make the transition back in March with Cohort III,” Murphy said. “In that process, we learned it couldn’t be a simple in-person-to-Zoom swap. We needed to be more deliberate and think beyond traditional classroom-style delivery. We have revamped the program to include shorter live training times, more asynchronous learning opportunities and coaching to support team initiative development.”
Intrapreneur Academy trains emerging leaders on innovation practices, methods, and strategies supporting faster company growth. This year-long academy for cross-functional teams includes trainings, experiences, and guest speakers through themed opportunities. Past participants include Van Meter, UnityPoint Health, Brucemore, Linn County Auditor, Eco Lips, AbbeHealth Aging Services, United Way of Eastern Iowa, Grinnell Mutual, Woodward Communications, Marion Process Solutions, Woofables Bakery, Frontier Co-op, and NewBoCo.
If your organization is interested in a future cohort, please reach out to Jennifer Murphy at innovation@newbo.co.