Why do user innovators want to pursue user entrepreneurship? On the influence of the communitarian identity

Abstract

While users may be an important source of innovation, and even of entrepreneurship, we know little about the exact psychological mechanism that underpins user innovators' transition to user entrepreneurship (UE). In this study, we focus on user innovators' communitarian identity, which is a stable mindset that values the personalized bonds with a user community. Based on the theory of planned behavior, we hypothesize how this identity affects user innovators' intention regarding UE. We use survey data from 139 user innovators to show that user innovators' communitarian identity strengthens their subsequent attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavior control (PBC) regarding UE, and that the attitudes and PBC in turn strengthen their intentions to pursue UE. The findings highlight the direct effect of the communitarian identity on user innovators’ evaluation of UE and its indirect effect on their intention. They also provide insights into the individual factor that alleviates the lack of commercialization of user innovation.