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Adopting Seekers’ Solution Exemplars in Crowdsourcing Ideation Contests: Antecedents and Consequences

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  • Tat Koon Koh

    (School of Business and Management, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong)

Abstract

To benefit from the wisdom of the crowd in ideation contests, seekers should understand how their involvement affects solvers’ ideation and the ensuing ideas. This present study addresses this need by examining the antecedents and consequences of solvers’ exemplar adoption (i.e., use of solution exemplars that the seekers provide) in such contests. We theorize how the characteristics of seekers’ exemplars (specifically, quantity and variability) and prizes jointly influence exemplar adoption. We also consider how exemplar adoption affects the effectiveness of the resulting ideas, conditional on solvers’ experience with the problem domain of the contests. The results from a company naming contest and an ad design contest show that exemplar quantity and exemplar variability both positively affect exemplar adoption, but the effects are strengthened and attenuated, respectively, by prize attractiveness. The outcomes of a campaign using the ads from the design contest further show that greater exemplar adoption improves ad effectiveness (in terms of click-through performance) although this is negatively moderated by solvers’ domain experience. We discuss the theoretical and practical contributions of this research to ideation contests. The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2018.0810 .

Suggested Citation

  • Tat Koon Koh, 2019. "Adopting Seekers’ Solution Exemplars in Crowdsourcing Ideation Contests: Antecedents and Consequences," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 30(2), pages 486-506, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orisre:v:30:y:2019:i:2:p:486-506
    DOI: 10.1287/isre.2018.0810
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    1. Dong, Lingfeng & Wang, Jiaying & Tok, Sin You & Tu, Yu & Li, Ou, 2025. "Strategic configuration of platform functionalities in service-selling Platforms: The role of price position and reputation," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    2. Tat Koon Koh & Muller Y. M. Cheung, 2022. "Seeker Exemplars and Quantitative Ideation Outcomes in Crowdsourcing Contests," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 33(1), pages 265-284, March.
    3. Jialu Liu & Keehyung Kim, 2023. "Designing contests for data science competitions: Number of stages and the prize structures," Production and Operations Management, Production and Operations Management Society, vol. 32(11), pages 3752-3772, November.
    4. Yang, Xi & Zhao, Quanwu & Sun, Heshan, 2022. "Seekers’ complaint behavior in crowdsourcing: An uncertainty perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Patel, Chirag & Ahmad Husairi, Mariyani & Haon, Christophe & Oberoi, Poonam, 2023. "Monetary rewards and self-selection in design crowdsourcing contests: Managing participation, contribution appropriateness, and winning trade-offs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).

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