Bootlegging in high technology R&D departments : from initiation to disclosure

Bootlegging -the unauthorised projects initiated by an employee and directed toward innovation for the benefit of their organization -is an important aspect of innovation, because it is considered to be a great source of bottom-up innovation within organisations. Since it is clandestine and hidden from management and researchers, it has remained one of the least researched aspects of the innovation process.

There are a handful of studies on the topic of bootlegging in the management literature – mainly based on one or a small number of case studies. The research suggests that bootlegging activity can lead to innovative new products and is seen in a positive light by a large majority of authors. However, the existing literature lacks empirical evidence and consensus among different authors on the various aspects of bootlegging such as reasons for bootlegging, underground operation, disclosure stage of bootlegging and its outcomes.

Since bootlegging is a clandestine process, after careful consideration of a variety options, it was concluded that in-depth interviews with bootleggers is the most appropriate approach for studying the topic. Network sampling was applied to identify bootleggers and gain their trust. The researcher has utilised his network and attended several professional and engineering conferences to identify and approach bootleggers rather than contacting them through their managers and organisations. Subsequently, 55 in-depth semi-structured interviews were undertaken. The appropriate research methodology helped to shed light on these under-researched aspects of innovation. Cont/d.