Leadership and Organizational Culture as the Normative Influence of Top Management on Employee's Behaviour in the Innovation Process

Companies with a strong entrepreneurial orientation usually possess distinctive competencies and innovative outlooks, and have a managerial vision and innovative organisational culture that aims to achieve the company's objectives through operations. Corporate culture plays the main role in motivating and shaping creative behaviour in organisations. Establishing and nurturing entrepreneurial behaviour and practices so that they become part of an organisation's culture and ethos can provide the opportunity to initiate renewal and create innovation. One of the major factors repeatedly suggested to affect innovation is also leadership. The leaders of organizations help define and shape work contexts that contribute to organizational innovation, can create and manage an organizational culture that promotes innovation. This study examines the relationships between organisational culture, leadership and innovation. Although the innovation literature base is extensive, the research in this area is rather restricted. The paper presents the findings of the research conducted in Polish private companies.