Measures of individual-level intrapreneurship: a scoping review

Abstract Intrapreneurship has become a noteworthy topic in management research and practice. Yet, the field remains conceptually fragmented and empirically inconsistent, due to both conceptual broadness and persistent measurement challenges. Given the predominantly quantitative nature of intrapreneurship research, adequate construct measurement that reflects the conceptual understanding of intrapreneurship is essential for theoretical advancement and empirical rigor. This scoping review addresses these issues by systematically examining existing individual-level intrapreneurship measures and analyzing their underlying theoretical foundations. An analysis of 50 years of literature identified sixteen measures, revealing a wide range of operationalizations. While many measures emphasize core dimensions such as innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking, others capture less-explored dimensions, including change and adaptability, self-concept, strategic behaviors, and commitment and leadership. The review argues this is the result of diverging theoretical underpinnings of the measurements, uncovering a continuum of perspectives, ranging from trait-based (who the intrapreneur is) to behavior-based (what the intrapreneur does). This is the first study to explicitly link intrapreneurship measures with their conceptual and theoretical premises. Additionally, it introduces a multidimensional typology that supports more informed measure selection and theory-driven research design. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that there is no single best measure of intrapreneurship; rather, the choice of instrument should align with the researcher’s theoretical perspective. In this way, this review provides a structured foundation for more coherent theory-building, facilitates informed measure selection, and encourages the development of more conceptually grounded instruments in future research.