Innovating With the Customer: Co-Creation Motives in Online Communities

ABSTRACTThis study identifies and classifies the motivations and benefits consumers gain from participating in co-creation activities in online communities by conducting a systematic literature review and developing a taxonomy. The taxonomy provides an overview of customer motivations to co-create in online communities by categorizing the motivations according to their nature (entirely extrinsic, internalized extrinsic, and intrinsic), and their connection to the individual, innovative community, and firm. Based on the uses and gratifications (U&G) framework of benefits (cognitive/learning, hedonic, personal integrative, and social integrative benefits), the taxonomy also identifies the relationships between extrinsic and intrinsic motivations within each benefit category, thus gaining a better understanding of the psychological needs behind the co-creators’ motivations. For instance, an example of a community-related intrinsic motivation that provides a social integrative benefit is altruism. Community members who are motivated by altruism show care, attention, and help toward the co-creation project and the community. Companies can create encouragement in supporting others’ contributions that will help to stimulate new submissions. Another case is that an example of an internalized self-extrinsic motivation which is related to instrumental benefit is user need. Community members who are motivated by the satisfaction that arises from improving current product- and service-related issues propose solutions and new ideas to those issues as they seek a practical benefit for their personal needs. Companies can invite these community members for a brainstorm with their representatives such as product owners or program managers to provide inspiration for improvements.KEY WORDS AND PHRASES: Customer co-creationextrinsic motivationintrinsic motivationuses-and-gratifications frameworkonline communitiescommunity managementsense of belongingcollaborative innovationdigital marketing AcknowledgmentsThe authors are thankful to the editor-in-chief and anonymous reviewers for their constructive feedback and valuable suggestions.Disclosure statementThe authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.Notes1 In the following, we use the term “new product development” to encompass the development of wholly new products, as well as product improvement.2 Internalized extrinsically motivated behavior has not become completed intrinsically motivated.Additional informationNotes on contributorsZeynep Didem NohutluZeynep Didem Nohutlu (didemnohutlu@hotmail.com; corresponding author) is a Ph.D. candidate at the Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social Sciences, Department of High-Tech Business and Entrepreneurship, University of Twente, The Netherlands. Her research focuses on customer and employee motivations, behaviors, and experiences, co-creation and innovation management, and community management, in online communities. Her work has been published in the European Journal of Innovation Management.Basil G. EnglisBasil G. Englis (benglis@berry.edu) is the Richard Edgerton Professor of Marketing and Chair of the Management and Marketing Department in the Campbell School of Business at Berry College. He is also a research fellow at the University of Groningen Centre of Entrepreneurship. He holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology with minors in social psychology and statistics from Dartmouth College. Dr. Englis’s research focuses on consumer psychology, product and brand symbolism, sustainable consumption, mass media and consumer socialization, and consumer lifestyles and values. His research and scholarly work have appeared in more than 85 publications, including numerous articles and book chapters. Dr. Englis is also managing partner of Mind/Share, Inc., a firm that specializes in custom online consumer research, expert witness, and other consulting services. He has consulted with numerous organizations including American Airlines, E.I. DuPont de Nemours, Hasbro, Foley & Lardner, PPG Industries, Procter & Gamble, Under Armour, Vanity Fair Corporation, VISA, and many others.Aard J. GroenAard J. Groen (a.j.groen@rug.nl) is a professor of entrepreneurship and valorization at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. He is an honorary professor of entrepreneurship at Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, India. Dr. Groen’s research interests include knowledge-intensive entrepreneurship in networks. His work has been published in Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Management, Organization Science, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and Industrial Marketing Management, among others.Efthymios ConstantinidesEfthymios Constantinides (efthymios@thapar.edu) is a professor of digital marketing at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, India, and a visiting researcher at the Faculty of Behavioral, Management and Social Sciences at the University of Twente, The Netherlands. His interests are focused on researching consumer behavior and marketing strategy in digital environments. His work has been published in Frontiers in Psychology, The Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, The Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, Journal of Internet Marketing, and other journals.