The Influence of Leadership Behavior  
                                 on Innovative Work Behavior: 
                           The Case of a Pharmaceutical Company in 
          
                                           Germany 
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                         
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                              Master Thesis Business Administration 
                                                       Bianca Nödl (s1611003) 
                                                                        
                                                   Human Resource Management 
                                             School of Management and Governance 
                                                                        
                                                                        
                                                                        
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                                  The Influence of Leadership Behavior  
                                          on Innovative work behavior: 
                    The Case of a Pharmaceutical Company in Germany 
                                                                     
                  
                  
                  
                 Student: 
                 Name: Bianca Nödl 
                 Student number: s1611003 
                 Study: Master Business Administration 
                 Track: Human Resource Management 
                 E-Mail: Bianca.noedl@gmx.net 
                  
                  
                  
                 Committee: 
                 First supervisor:       Dr. Anna Bos-Nehles, University of Twente 
                 Second supervisor:      Dr.ir. Jan de Leede, University of Twente 
                                         Maarten Renkema, University of Twente 
                  
                          Abstract 
                          Purpose 
                          Innovation is a crucial part of companies getting a competitive advantage. Most studies of 
                          leadership behaviors fostering innovative work behavior have explored how organizations can 
                          become  more  innovative  by  encouraging  their  employees  to  generate  new  ideas  in  a 
                          knowledge-intensive  environment.  By  showing  specific  leadership  behaviors  leaders  can 
                          improve idea generation and idea realization. Next to that, they can adopt or delegate innovator 
                          roles, that help pushing an idea through the different phases of the innovation process. The 
                          purpose of this paper is to find appropriate leadership behaviors that enhance the innovative 
                          work behavior of employees in a different context, namely a manufacturing environment.  
                          Methodology/Research Approach 
                          Based  on  findings  from  contemporary  literature,  this  study  investigates  the  appropriate 
                          behaviors leaders should show when attempting to foster innovative work behavior by using a 
                          real-life case study.  Focus groups, a document analysis and interviews are used for this 
                          purpose.  
                          Findings 
                          The  findings  show  that,  keeping  Employees  motivated,  encouragement  for  innovation, 
                          promoting information sharing, distribution of demanding assignments and delegation and 
                          providing autonomy are behaviors that are beneficial during the idea generation phase. In 
                          contrast, during the idea realization phase leaders need to establish a feedback culture, have 
                          enthusiasm for applying better solutions, offer a bonus for innovative ideas and also offer 
                          resources for implementation. 
                          Practical implications 
                          With economies facing challenges and staying competitive, organizations have an increasing 
                          interest innovation leading to higher economic performance. Organizations can become more 
                          innovative by encouraging their employees to generate new ideas. The findings of this study 
                          can be a guidance for leaders wanting to enhance innovative work behavior. 
                          Originality/Value 
                          This study provides a new view on leadership behaviors fostering innovative work behavior 
                          within the manufacturing context. Until now studies focused mainly on knowledge-intensive 
                          environments. The found behaviors offer a chance to push innovative ideas through the 
                          innovation cycle.  
                           
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                          Acknowledgements 
                          I would first like to thank my supervisors Dr. Anna Bos-Nehles and Dr. Jan de Leede of the 
                          University of Twente for providing me with guidance and feedback throughout the process of 
                          writing  this  thesis.  I  would  also  like  to  acknowledge  Maarten  Renkema,  whose  valuable 
                          comments were crucial for the completion of this thesis and helped to put me back on track in 
                          many cases.   
                          This thesis was only possible with the help of my fellow student Nesrin Hill, who read it 
                          repeatedly and made important remarks.  
                          I would also like to thank Christiane for supporting me during the last months and being an 
                          inspirational leader, as well as Barbara who always stood behind me during my research. 
                          Finally, I must express my profound gratitude to my parents Frauke and Michael, my sister 
                          Annika and to my partner Simon for providing me with limitless support and encouragement 
                          during the last years. Ohne euch hätte ich das alles nicht durchgestanden. Danke.  
                           
                                                                               
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