Motivation as determinant of bootlegging innovation

Abstract

One key source of innovation is the individual employee, who can develop innovations either with or without the official authorization by management–the latter phenomenon is called bootlegging. Previous research focused mostly on structural determinants while little is known about individual determinants of bootlegging behavior. We relate two research streams that address deviance and motivation to develop a conceptual model that explains bootlegging behavior in the workplace. Based on the assumption that an innovating agent can simultaneously engage in compliant and in deviant innovative behavior (ie bootlegging), we conceptualize these distinctly different types of behavior as two dependent variables and derive intrinsic and extrinsic motivational sources as independent variables. Our conceptual model contributes to existing literature on individual-level determinants of bootlegging and offers a basis to further study workplace innovation.