Purpose Organizational sustainability in the changing market requires adequate management of resources and opportunities; thus, entrepreneurship and digitization have acquired special relevance as key elements in the training programs offered for employee’s development. In order to analyze whether employee motivations influence corporate entrepreneurial development and consider the influence of this type of training program on intrapreneurial activity, a survey of 241 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Community of Madrid was carried out. Design/methodology/approach The analysis was conducted using the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) methodology. Findings This analysis provides a new perspective for the research of the training programs proposed and puts forward recommendations to achieve an approach that favors entrepreneurial development. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for managers and business leaders and showing actions to integrate digitalization with transversal value for continuous and sustainable development. Originality/value The value of this article lies in demonstrating that training in entrepreneurial skills or digital tools is not a necessary variable for the presence of entrepreneurship in the organization; however, an absence of training in these areas does imply that intrapreneurial characteristics do not develop.