User roles and team structures in a crowdsourcing community for international development – a social network perspective

The principles of crowdsourcing are increasingly applied in social contexts like development projects. In this study we explore a crowdsourcing community, which aims to find innovation to enhance conditions for women and girls in developing countries. Overall, the observed community shows a high level of collaboration and reciprocal dialogue. We further explore differences between teams and individual community members. While on the individual level we located four different user roles distinct in their interaction and contribution behavior, on the team level we identified the importance of distinct user roles on team performance. We contribute to the theory of crowdsourcing by illustrating that context and purpose of crowdsourcing initiatives may influence the behavioral pattern of users. This study contributes to theory about virtual teams by providing a better understanding about team structures in the context of crowdsourcing. Further we add insights to the junctures between crowdsourcing and social innovation in the context of open development.