How identity leadership encourages bootlegging: The role of work meaningfulness and independent self-construal

Bootlegging has been recognized as a critical pathway to radical innovation. Drawing on data from 228 employees, this study examined how identity leadership promotes bootlegging. The results indicated that identity leadership enhanced employees’ work meaningfulness, encouraging bootlegging behavior. Moreover, individuals with stronger (vs. weaker) independent self-construal were less responsive to identity leadership in deriving work meaningfulness. Further, independent self-construal moderated the indirect effect of identity leadership on bootlegging through work meaningfulness. These findings contribute to the growing literature on bootlegging by uncovering the mechanisms through which identity leadership fosters informal innovation. In addition, this study has advanced understanding of the boundary conditions of leadership effectiveness, offering new insights into the role of self-construal in shaping employee-driven innovation.