_{Thesis Title: Investigating factors affecting the selection of shared leadership style in innovation networks}

_{Building networks is one of the well-known strategies for increasing a company’s performance and technology acquisition in R&D corporations. In 1991, Freeman predicted that the importance of networking will increase between independent companies, so as to become one of the popular routines for product and process development (Doepfer, 2012). Rothwell, in his famous book about innovation models, anticipated the importance of networking and suggested that our appreciation of the nature of the innovation process, has been evolving from such simple linear models through to increasingly complex interactive models. His ‘fifth-generation innovation’ concept, sees innovation as a multi-actor  process and networks, which requires high levels of integration at both intra and inter-firm levels and which is increasingly facilitated by IT-based networking.}

_{Network leadership is complex and difficult and sometimes it is beyond one company’s ability, so several companies can implement shared leadership (Agranoff ,2007; Bryson, Crosby and Stone, 2006). Due to complexities of shared leadership, there should exist conditions according to which shared leadership could be agreed on. Division of work among leaders and different leadership roles, are issues we tried to find solutions for in this study.}

_{In this study, the emphasis is on factors affecting the selection of shared leadership style in innovation networks. We also investigated different leadership and shared leadership styles in innovation networks and division of tasks between hubs. Our research method is both quantitative and qualitative.}