IE webdriver maximize window

Running cucumber test with webdriver in Internet Explorer browser has alot of issues. One issue that I encounter is that the IE browser window is not opening in a maximized state. Apparently, webdriver needs to have IE browser fully maximize in order for webdriver to be able to locate elements. A workaround that I use is to maximize the IE browser on my first cucumber steps. To change/resize the browser window:

#need to check the browser version is IE via webdriver as other browsers like ff and chrome do not to be maximised
if(page.driver.browser.browser.to_s == "internet_explorer")
  page.driver.browser.manage.window.maximize
end