From last year’s protests by Google employees to this summer’s worker walkouts at Wayfair, advocacy from within the rank-and-file of corporations has made headlines in recent years. But as Jerry Davis and Chris White see it, the trend toward employee activism was long in the making.

For almost a decade, the two have taught a course at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business about creating positive change without authority in organizations. Last year, Intrapreneurship: Leading Social Innovation in Organizations was recognized with an Aspen Institute Ideas Worth Teaching Award. At a time when employees are increasingly recognized as changemakers, we spoke with Jerry and Chris about the social movements that reinforced their vision, and what the future of teaching intrapreneurship may look like.

Let’s start by clarifying the term ‘corporate social intrapreneurship’. How do you define it, and why does the definition matter?

In our book we define it this way: “Social intrapreneurs lead change within their organizations, without formal authority, that aligns with core business objectives while also advancing a social or environmental outcome.” For us, the last part is key: it has to advance a social or environmental outcome. But we are agnostic about whether it’s a product or service, or a change in how business is done (e.g., greening the supply chain), or in how people are managed to be more inclusive (e.g., a program to employ returning citizens), or in how the organization engages its community.

Read the full article about intrapreneurship by Jerry Davis and Chris White at The Aspen Institute.