Crowdsourcing business model innovation

TY - ABST

T1 - Crowdsourcing business model innovation

AU - Waldner, Florian

AU - Poetz, Marion Kristin

AU - Bogers, Marcel

N1 - Conference code: 76

PY - 2016

Y1 - 2016

N2 - Successfully adapting existing business models or developing new ones significantly influences a firm’s ability to generate profits and develop competitive advantages. However, business model innovation is perceived as a complex, risky and uncertain process and its success strongly depends on whether or not the firm is capable of understanding and addressing their customers’ needs. We conduct a quantitative exploratory case study to investigate how crowdsourcing-based search approaches among user communities can contribute to developing business model innovation. Drawing on data from a crowdsourcing initiative designed to develop ideas for new business models in the podcast industry, we provide first exploratory insights into the value of crowdsourcing for innovating a firm’s way of creating, delivering and capturing value, and discuss characteristics of crowd-contributors that influence the quantity and quality of the outcomes. Our findings indicate that crowd contributions go beyond suggesting new value propositions, they also comprise novel and useful ideas for innovating a firm’s approach to value delivery and value capture. These findings, which are quite counterintuitive from the perspective of classic strategy making literature, suggest that, at least under certain conditions, crowdsourcing might constitute a promising method to alleviate the process of successful business model innovation.

AB - Successfully adapting existing business models or developing new ones significantly influences a firm’s ability to generate profits and develop competitive advantages. However, business model innovation is perceived as a complex, risky and uncertain process and its success strongly depends on whether or not the firm is capable of understanding and addressing their customers’ needs. We conduct a quantitative exploratory case study to investigate how crowdsourcing-based search approaches among user communities can contribute to developing business model innovation. Drawing on data from a crowdsourcing initiative designed to develop ideas for new business models in the podcast industry, we provide first exploratory insights into the value of crowdsourcing for innovating a firm’s way of creating, delivering and capturing value, and discuss characteristics of crowd-contributors that influence the quantity and quality of the outcomes. Our findings indicate that crowd contributions go beyond suggesting new value propositions, they also comprise novel and useful ideas for innovating a firm’s approach to value delivery and value capture. These findings, which are quite counterintuitive from the perspective of classic strategy making literature, suggest that, at least under certain conditions, crowdsourcing might constitute a promising method to alleviate the process of successful business model innovation.

U2 - 10.5465/ambpp.2016.10034abstract

DO - 10.5465/ambpp.2016.10034abstract

M3 - Conference abstract in journal

SN - 2151-6561

VL - 2016

JO - Academy of Management Proceedings

JF - Academy of Management Proceedings

IS - (Meeting Abstract Supplement)

M1 - 10034

T2 - Academy of Management Annual Meeting

Y2 - 5 August 2016 through 9 August 2016

ER -