The Role of Human Resources and Leadership in Sustaining a Positive Innovation Culture

In theory as well as in practical management there is a general consensus that innovation is key to a company’s long-term success and profitable growth. Given the increasingly fast-changing business environment, companies are pushed to assert their market position by continuously enhancing customer value through innovation. A culture that encourages and promotes innovation, a so-called innovation culture, is crucial to the organization’s success in innovation and therefore its long-term survival. This thesis identifies what characterises a positive innovation culture and which roles HR and leaderships play in this context. For this purpose, the thesis is divided into a literature review and an empirical study, which consists of six expert interviews that examine the topic from a more practical perspective and find evidence for the established hypotheses