Leadership influence on EO : An interview-based study on leadership influence on Entrepreneurial Orientation in KIBS-firms from the eyes of the consultants

Abstract: Over the last decades, there has been a shift from a product intensive market to a service-based one which is based on knowledge being a high commodity in contrast to previous decades where tangible capital resources and products have been the primary focus. Over a similar time frame, entrepreneurial orientation (EO) has become one of the most important theories/concepts within entrepreneurial research, which is a firm’s capacity to portray innovative, proactive and risktaking behaviour to outcompete their competitors. For a firm to develop an EO, the firm’s leadership is of the essence. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to research how leadership influences EO in the knowledge-intensive business service sector (KIBS-sector) from the perspective of consultants. Most studies on EO and leadership are conducted using quantitative methods, therefore the study was conducted qualitatively and is based on ten interviews with consultants from various professions within KIBS. The findings indicate that there are several leadership factors influencing whether a KIBS-firm can develop an EO which is categorisedi nto three distinct categories: Organisational culture, Leader skills and styles, and Managerial systems. Organisations can use these findings to highlight areas of improvement for leaders and how management in KIBS-firms can organise their firms to implement innovative, proactive, and risk-taking behaviours in their consultants