Activating tacit knowledge: A conceptual framework for contest-based innovation platforms

In turbulent settings, marked by global crises and digital revolutions, innovation remains a crucial and complex challenge for firms. Novel ideas and knowledge dynamics are central to economic and management research into innovation, but the effectiveness of bringing tacit knowledge to bear remains insufficiently explored, particularly on contest-based innovation platforms that firms host in an effort to address their research and innovation challenges. Citing both organizational/evolutionary theory and management insights, the current research suggests a new conceptual approach for combining three types of knowledge: (a) platform innovation contest knowledge, such as insights into the benefits of modularity contests and solvers' motives; (b) problem-solving and tacit knowledge; and (c) knowledge about the role of corporate creativity. In an initial test of this theoretical approach, involving participants who seek to solve data challenges posted on the Management and Data Science Platform, this study reveals the relevance of a multidisciplinary approach, while also offering in-depth insights into how platforms work. These findings establish key management recommendations for companies that hope to attain the full benefits of individual creativity exhibited on contest-based, online innovation platforms.