Exploring consumers' motivations to engage in innovation through co-creation activities

TY - JOUR

T1 - Exploring consumers' motivations to engage in innovation through co-creation activities

AU - Roberts, Deborah

AU - Hughes, Mathew

AU - Kertbo, Kia

PY - 2014/1/1

Y1 - 2014/1/1

N2 - Purpose: This paper aims to explore what factors motivate consumers to engage in co-creation innovation activities. The authors propose that motivations differ across types of activities, whether working independently, as part of a community or directly with the firm. They offer theoretical explanations as to why this might be the case. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting an exploratory research design, the study consists of a series of online interviews with participants in the gaming and video games industry. Findings: Motivations appear to differ across types of co-creation efforts. Innovating independently of the firm appears to be driven by egocentric motives; innovating as part of a community appears to be driven by altruistic motives; and innovating directly in collaboration with the firm appears to be driven by opportunity- (or goal-)related motives. Practical implications: Understanding the factors that motivate consumers to engage in co-creation activities enables firms to strategically manage their co-creation relationships and innovation processes. Originality/value: The study shows that although motivations diverge across types of co-creation activities, a set of common motivators exist that underpin engagement regardless of the form of co-creation. However, these overarching motivators differ in how they can be successfully used towards co-creation. The study draws on theories of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, tension-reducing, self-efficacy and expectancy theories, to explain why differences persist. This enables researchers to consider how value might be optimised across varying forms of co-creation, and build better studies into the management and performance implications of consumer value co-creation.

AB - Purpose: This paper aims to explore what factors motivate consumers to engage in co-creation innovation activities. The authors propose that motivations differ across types of activities, whether working independently, as part of a community or directly with the firm. They offer theoretical explanations as to why this might be the case. Design/methodology/approach: Adopting an exploratory research design, the study consists of a series of online interviews with participants in the gaming and video games industry. Findings: Motivations appear to differ across types of co-creation efforts. Innovating independently of the firm appears to be driven by egocentric motives; innovating as part of a community appears to be driven by altruistic motives; and innovating directly in collaboration with the firm appears to be driven by opportunity- (or goal-)related motives. Practical implications: Understanding the factors that motivate consumers to engage in co-creation activities enables firms to strategically manage their co-creation relationships and innovation processes. Originality/value: The study shows that although motivations diverge across types of co-creation activities, a set of common motivators exist that underpin engagement regardless of the form of co-creation. However, these overarching motivators differ in how they can be successfully used towards co-creation. The study draws on theories of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, tension-reducing, self-efficacy and expectancy theories, to explain why differences persist. This enables researchers to consider how value might be optimised across varying forms of co-creation, and build better studies into the management and performance implications of consumer value co-creation.

KW - Consumers

KW - Innovation

KW - Motivation theory

KW - Social exchange theory

KW - Value co-creation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84897463664&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1108/EJM-12-2010-0637

DO - 10.1108/EJM-12-2010-0637

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84897463664

SN - 0309-0566

VL - 48

SP - 147

EP - 169

JO - European Journal of Marketing

JF - European Journal of Marketing

IS - 1

ER -