the Legrand group wins the social innovation prize

Develop entrepreneurial talents within a distribution group. It is the objective that the Legrand group has set for itself by creating an internal incubator which has its own identity: Le Lab by Legrand.

“Within the Legrand group, we are guided by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, inherited from our family history. From a very young age, I had the chance to grow up in this environment where everything is possible: I was able to explore, fail, bounce back, with the constant support of my family”explains Éric Legrand, general manager of the distribution group.

It was therefore quite natural that the idea of ​​germinating young shoots from the group was born. The Lab by Legrand is a system that allows employees to propose, develop and test innovative projects related to mobility.

On the one hand, this initiative makes the company more attractive to talents, especially those looking for an environment where they can express their creativity.

The incubator also allows interested employees to understand a global vision of a project, from strategy (business plan, business model, etc.) to leadership to focus teams on a common objective. Finally, stimulating innovation is beneficial to the group, particularly by creating new opportunities to respond to the challenges of the mobility market.

Call for projects

Each employee, individually or in a group, can apply via the call for projects. Once the project is selected by the jury, made up of members of management, the project is pre-incubated for six months in order to test the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) or POC (Proof of Concept).

During this period, the employee benefits from 10 days of working time with a tailor-made support program, training and dedicated resources. At the end of these six months, the jury deliberates on the projects deemed viable and desirable in order to enter the incubation phase and benefit from financial support from the Legrand group.

“I am convinced that what makes the difference in a company is the people who make it up. This is why today I want to enable employees, whatever their profession, background or diploma, to bring about entrepreneurial projects. Developing this entrepreneurial spirit is not only a family affair, but the corporate culture that I wish to develop within the group.”adds Éric Legrand.

Each employee is an actor in the company

Each employee can have an entrepreneurial soul, according to the manager. The fact remains that employees still encounter difficulties in planning for this exercise. To develop this status, the group develops this spirit internally. And above all, it allows employees to be able to reconcile their daily missions and their participation in the incubator.

To date, various projects have already been proposed as a specialized service in the integration and management of high value-added products for the automotive sector. This latest project is currently being launched.