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In this blog post, we will explore how Maysalward, a mobile game studio, has understood the importance of fostering both entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship within their organization. A visionary entrepreneur founder, Nour Khrais, wants to make a positive impact by creating innovative games and unique IPs from the Middle East Region, where such culture didn’t exist back in 2003 when he founded the company. However, Khrais recognized the importance of fostering a culture of intrapreneurship within the studio, which is essential for staying ahead of the competition and creating successful and unique games. We will delve into the strategies and practices that Khrais has implemented to foster this culture of innovation and ownership, and how it has led to a more creative and dynamic workplace and many successful and unique games.
Entrepreneurs start their businesses to create something new and make a difference. They are willing to take risks and often have a strong vision for the future. Entrepreneurs are typically associated with small businesses but can also be found in large companies.
Intrapreneurs, on the other hand, work within a larger organization and drive innovation and change from within. They have the same drive and passion as entrepreneurs, but they focus on improving the company they work for rather than starting their businesses. Intrapreneurs are often found in large corporations and are responsible for driving growth and finding new opportunities for their company.
Both entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs play an essential role in the business world.
Entrepreneurs bring new ideas and innovations to the market, while intrapreneurs help established companies stay competitive and relevant.
Entrepreneurs are often seen as risk-takers, willing to invest their own money and resources into their businesses. They are responsible for creating jobs and driving economic growth. They also play a vital role in shaping the future by developing new technologies, products, and services.
Intrapreneurs, on the other hand, are focused on improving the company they work for and are responsible for driving innovation and finding new opportunities within their organization. They often understand their company’s strengths and weaknesses and can use this knowledge to develop new products or services to help the company grow.
We should agree entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs are critical to the business world but approach their work differently. Entrepreneurs focus on creating new businesses and driving innovation, while intrapreneurs focus on driving change and innovation within existing organizations. Both play a vital role in driving economic growth and shaping the future.
Despite their small size, intrapreneurship inside mobile game studios is essential for creating innovative games and unique IPs. The mobile gaming industry is highly competitive, and studios must constantly develop new and unique ideas to stand out. Intrapreneurship helps to foster a culture of innovation within the studio, which is crucial for staying ahead of the competition.
An intrapreneur is an employee who takes ownership of their work and drives innovation from within. They are passionate about creating new products, services, or processes and are not afraid of taking risks. By fostering intrapreneurship, studios can tap into the creativity and drive of their employees and use it to create new and exciting games.
Additionally, mobile game studios with unique IPs can command higher prices for their games, as they have a proven track record of creating successful and popular games. Unique IPs also provide more opportunities for branding and monetization, which can help studios to generate more revenue eventually.
Implementing OKR: A Pathway to Empowering Intrapreneurs within Organizations
OKR, which stands for Objectives and Key Results, is a framework that helps organizations set and achieve specific, measurable goals. It is a powerful tool for creating intrapreneurs inside organizations because it provides a clear and structured way for employees to align their work with the company’s overall mission and goals.
One of the critical benefits of OKR is that it helps employees understand how their work fits into the bigger picture. By setting clear objectives and key results, employees know exactly what to do to contribute to the company’s success and help them feel more engaged and motivated to foster a culture of intrapreneurship.
OKR also helps to create transparency and accountability within the organization. By setting measurable vital results, employees and their managers can track progress and determine whether objectives are being met to help ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals, making it easy to identify and address any roadblocks or challenges.
Another benefit of OKR is that it encourages innovation and experimentation. The framework is flexible and allows for adjusting the objectives and key results as needed, which is essential for companies that operate in a fast-paced, ever-changing environment. By providing a framework for experimentation, OKR can help to foster a culture of experimentation and learning, which is critical for creating intrapreneurs.
In summary, OKR is a powerful tool for creating intrapreneurs within organizations. It helps employees understand how their work fits the bigger picture, creates transparency and accountability, and encourages innovation and experimentation. By using OKR, organizations can ensure that all employees are aligned with the company’s goals and are empowered to drive innovation and growth from within.
Maysalward quickly adapted OKR knowledge after it was introduced to them in a Google acceleration program in Singapore. The program provided an opportunity for Maysalward to learn about the OKR framework and how it can be used to set and achieve specific, measurable goals within the studio. Maysalward understood the benefits of OKR and how it can align employees with the company’s overall mission and goals.
Maysalward uses Peoplebox, an OKR platform that easily tracks strategic goals and initiatives, to organize and manage OKRs across the organization.
Flat Organization Structure: Empowering Intrapreneurs to Drive Innovation
A flat organization with no hierarchy can be an ideal environment for fostering intrapreneurship within an organization. In a flat organization, there is less emphasis on traditional team hierarchies and more on empowering employees to take ownership of their work and drive innovation.
Without the constraints of a rigid hierarchy, employees are free to take risks and develop new ideas without fear of retribution. They can also easily collaborate with their peers, share ideas and experiment with new methods, leading to more creative solutions.
Additionally, a flat organization can help to break down silos and create a more open and transparent culture and help to foster a sense of community among employees and encourage them to take an active role in driving the company’s success.
Furthermore, in a flat organization, decision-making is more distributed, which means that employees at all levels of the organization have a voice that can help create a more engaged and motivated workforce, as employees feel that their contributions are valued and have a tangible impact on the company’s success.
In short, a flat organization with no hierarchy can be an ideal environment for fostering intrapreneurship by empowering employees, breaking down silos, creating a more open and transparent culture, and distributing decision-making processes, all leading to a more engaged and motivated workforce.
Maysalward, a mobile game studio, has implemented a flat organizational structure to foster creativity and develop unique IP games. The studio has created an environment that encourages experimentation and risk-taking by breaking down hierarchies and empowering employees to take ownership of their work.
Maysalward’s flat organizational structure encourages experimentation and risk-taking and helps focus employees on the company’s goals and objectives. By implementing OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) as a framework, the studio can set specific, measurable goals for each employee and team, which helps to ensure that everyone is aligned and working towards the same objectives to lead to a more productive and efficient work environment.
Additionally, Maysalward has also adopted the Scrum Agile project management method, which supports the OKRs in a more structured way. Using the Agile methodology, the studio can prioritize and deliver features and functionalities faster, which helps the company be more responsive to market changes and have a better time to market.
The combination of flat organizational structure, OKRs, and Agile project management has been a winning formula for Maysalward. Despite the small team size of fewer than 30 members, the studio has achieved great results and high-quality rollout games that have been well-received by players and critics. The flat structure, OKRs, and Agile project management have helped the studio to foster creativity, focus on objectives, and be more responsive to market changes, which has been essential for their success.
The CEO of Maysalward, Nour KHRAIS, is an entrepreneur with a passion for innovation and a drive to make a positive impact. He understands the importance of fostering intrapreneurship within the organization and has worked to create an environment that empowers employees to take ownership of their work and drive innovation.
He can balance the company’s vision and goals with his team’s needs and ideas. Furthermore, he encourages his team to think outside the box and take risks while providing the necessary support and resources to make their ideas a reality. Not only that, but he is a great leader who always looks for ways to improve the work environment and make it more conducive to creativity and innovation.
He was one of the first professionals in the region to attain this certification in 2011. This knowledge and experience have been instrumental in his ability to lead the company by adopting the Agile project management method and using it to drive efficiency and innovation within the organization.
By implementing Scrum Agile project management, KHRAIS has led the company to prioritize and deliver features and functionalities at a more rapid pace. This has helped the company to be more responsive to market changes and have a better time to market. Additionally, the Scrum Agile method helped to increase the transparency and predictability of the development process, which has led to a more efficient and effective development process.
Overcoming Challenges: Building a Culture of Intrapreneurship in a Startup
Maysalward, like any organization, faced challenges when setting up an intrapreneurship spirit and flat organizational structure. These challenges included cultural resistance, initial failures and missteps, difficulty aligning goals and objectives, difficulty tracking progress and achieving results, and lack of tools and resources. The company overcame these challenges through education, experimentation, and perseverance.
However, Maysalward did not give up on its belief in the power of intrapreneurship. The company kept pushing forward, experimenting with different approaches, and learning from its mistakes. Over time, the company was able to build a culture that embraces experimentation and risk-taking, which has led to a more creative and dynamic workplace.
Today, Maysalward’s flat organizational structure, implementation of OKRs, and adoption of Agile project management have led to a more engaged and motivated workforce. The company has created many successful and unique games well-received by players and critics.
In the early days of implementing a flat organizational structure at Maysalward, employees had a disconnection as they struggled to understand the concept and how it would impact their roles and responsibilities. Some employees thought the flat structure meant no management power, while others thought it meant a lack of direction. This was because the concept of a flat organization was new and not well-understood in the region, and it took time for the company to educate and convince the team about the benefits of such a structure.
Another challenge Maysalward faced with implementing a flat organizational structure was the potential for unethical behavior among employees. Without a traditional hierarchy, there may be less oversight and accountability, which can open the doors to employees who may not have a strong sense of ethics or integrity. In some cases, employees may use the lack of structure and oversight to cheat or exploit the organization for their gain. To combat this, Maysalward implemented various measures such as regular check-ins, performance evaluations, and clear guidelines for ethical behavior. It also created a culture of transparency and open communication, where employees feel comfortable raising any concerns or issues. Additionally, the leadership team was active in assuring the employees that any violation of the ethic would be dealt with accordingly.
Despite all the measures Maysalward put in place to mitigate the risks of unethical behavior, some issues still occurred. Some team members were able to harm the studio by taking advantage of the flat structure and lack of oversight. However, despite these setbacks, the company continued moving forward due to the power of the vision and the commitment of most team members. The team members who were genuinely aligned with the company’s mission and values and empowered by the flat organizational structure were able to drive innovation and push the company forward. They overcame the negative impact of a few bad actors, and the company continued to thrive. Additionally, the management team took quick and strict actions against the wrongdoers to ensure that the company’s culture and vision were not harmed.
Despite these initial challenges, the company overcame them through education, experimentation, and perseverance. Khrais and his leadership team communicated the company’s vision and goals, how the flat organization structure would align with that vision and goals, and how it would empower employees to take ownership of their work and drive innovation.
Maysalward’s commitment to intrapreneurship, despite cultural resistance and setbacks, has been a critical factor in building a more vital organization for the future. By staying true to its belief in the power of intrapreneurship, the company has fostered a culture of innovation and ownership that has led to a more creative and dynamic workplace and many successful and unique games.
The CEO of Maysalward is an entrepreneur with an intrapreneurial mindset and motivation for his organization. He has created an environment that empowers employees to take ownership of their work and drive innovation by implementing OKRs, and Agile project management, fostering a culture of learning and experimentation, and encouraging regular feedback sessions and open communication channels to help create a more engaged, motivated, and innovative workforce.
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