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Solver engagement in knowledge sharing in crowdsourcing communities: Exploring the link to creativity

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  • Garcia Martinez, Marian

Abstract

There is increasing interest in online communities as a channel of innovation for companies. However, research to date has been limited on how to create a compelling virtual experience to inspire contestants to make novel and creative contributions. This examination is critical as the online space grows more crowded. This paper draws from job engagement theory and the theory of job design to develop a framework that positions solver engagement as a key determinant of creativity in online innovation contests. In particular, we propose a multidimensional perspective of solver engagement by distinguishing the simultaneous investments of a contestant’s authentic self in crowdsourcing competitions in terms of physical, cognitive and emotional energy. We argue that the more intensively and persistently engagement energies are applied the higher the creativity and quality of contributions. Further, we examine the mediating effect of solver engagement on the crowdsourcing competition design-creativity relationship. Our findings reveal that the greater the contestants’ psychological involvement when performing competition tasks the higher the creativity of their solutions. Special emphasis on problem solving given the particular personality traits of knowledge communities while avoiding excessive, anxious control and respecting individuals positively impacts knowledge sharing and creativity. This article provides important implications for the organisation and sustainment of crowdsourcing communities as a vibrant source of innovations and creativity.

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  • Garcia Martinez, Marian, 2015. "Solver engagement in knowledge sharing in crowdsourcing communities: Exploring the link to creativity," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(8), pages 1419-1430.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:respol:v:44:y:2015:i:8:p:1419-1430
    DOI: 10.1016/j.respol.2015.05.010
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    Cited by:

    1. Piazza, Mariangela & Mazzola, Erica & Perrone, Giovanni, 2022. "How can I signal my quality to emerge from the crowd? A study in the crowdsourcing context," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    2. Salgado, Stéphane & Hemonnet-Goujot, Aurelie & Henard, David H. & de Barnier, Virginie, 2020. "The dynamics of innovation contest experience: An integrated framework from the customer’s perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 29-43.
    3. Samuel Ribeiro-Navarrete & Juan Piñeiro-Chousa & M. Ángeles López-Cabarcos & Daniel Palacios-Marqués, 2022. "Crowdlending: mapping the core literature and research frontiers," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(8), pages 2381-2411, November.
    4. Francesco Cappa & Federica Rosso & Antonio Capaldo, 2020. "Visitor-Sensing: Involving the Crowd in Cultural Heritage Organizations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, February.
    5. van der Have, Robert P. & Rubalcaba, Luis, 2016. "Social innovation research: An emerging area of innovation studies?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(9), pages 1923-1935.
    6. Fu, Shihui & Sun, Yi & Gao, Xue, 2022. "Balancing openness and control to improve the performance of crowdsourcing contests for product innovation: A configurational perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    7. Feng, Yuanyue & Yi, Zihui & Yang, Congcong & Chen, Ruoyi & Feng, Ye, 2022. "How do gamification mechanics drive solvers’ Knowledge contribution? A study of collaborative knowledge crowdsourcing," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    8. Yuan Jin & Ho Cheung Brian Lee & Sulin Ba & Jan Stallaert, 2021. "Winning by Learning? Effect of Knowledge Sharing in Crowdsourcing Contests," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 836-859, September.
    9. Francesco Cappa & Federica Rosso & Darren Hayes, 2019. "Monetary and Social Rewards for Crowdsourcing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-14, May.
    10. Steils, Nadia & Hanine, Salwa, 2019. "Recruiting valuable participants in online IDEA generation: The role of brief instructions," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 14-25.
    11. Cappa, Francesco & Oriani, Raffaele & Pinelli, Michele & De Massis, Alfredo, 2019. "When does crowdsourcing benefit firm stock market performance?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(9), pages 1-1.
    12. Muninger, Marie-Isabelle & Mahr, Dominik & Hammedi, Wafa, 2022. "Social media use: A review of innovation management practices," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 140-156.
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    14. Garcia Martinez, Marian, 2017. "Inspiring crowdsourcing communities to create novel solutions: Competition design and the mediating role of trust," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 296-304.
    15. Daniela Ioniță & Lucian-Florin Onișor, 2016. "Crowdsourcing and Outsourcing: Friends or Foes?," Journal of Emerging Trends in Marketing and Management, The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, vol. 1(1), pages 52-61, September.
    16. Shi, Xiaoxiao & Evans, Richard & Shan, Wei, 2022. "Solver engagement in online crowdsourcing communities: The roles of perceived interactivity, relationship quality and psychological ownership," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    17. Lee, Jung & Seo, DongBack, 2016. "Crowdsourcing not all sourced by the crowd: An observation on the behavior of Wikipedia participants," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 55, pages 14-21.
    18. Li, Libo & Yu, Huan & Kunc, Martin, 2024. "The impact of forum content on data science open innovation performance: A system dynamics-based causal machine learning approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).

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