Employees are increasingly considered as the origin of many corporate entrepreneurial ideas. Research on “bootlegging” posits that individuals often resort to hidden activities to elaborate their initial ideas and bring them to fruition. The origins and causes of bootlegging behaviour are well argued in the literature. Yet, less is known about what drives bootleggers to uncover their hidden ideas. This research uses field data from in-depth interviews with innovators in R&D departments in different industries of Iran to identify factors stimulating bootleggers to reveal their underground ideas. We identified five groups of factors at individual, managerial, firm, industrial, and idea levels, explaining the revealing stage of bootlegging behaviour. The findings provide a better understanding of the later phases of bootlegging behaviour and the possible role of context-specific factors such as cultural and religious beliefs.
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