From Scratch or from the Top Drawer? A Solver Perspective on Problem Solving in Crowdsourcing
Sebastian Schaefer, J. Nils Foege, Dirk Lüttgens, David Antons, Torsten Oliver Salge · Academy of Management Proceedings · 2016
Despite the growing attention paid to crowdsourcing contests by innovation management scholars, we know little about the development strategies of solution generating individuals - i.e., solvers - to date. In particular, we have little insights into solvers’ novelty generation strategies and optimal organization to solve complex technological problems such as the ones broadcasted with the assistance of crowdsourcing intermediaries. It is against this backdrop that this article develops a solver perspective on problem solving in crowdsourcing contests. In particular, it examines the relative effectiveness of solution recycling and development, individual and team-based problem solving, and the combination thereof. Analyses of 716 submissions to 379 crowdsourcing contests show that (1) solvers with distant technical backgrounds to the stated problem are more likely to recycle an existing solution, whereas perceived problem novelty increases the probability to develop a new solution; (2) solver teams generate more successful solutions than individual solvers irrespective of the develop versus recycle decision; and (3) that the success of a solution is contingent upon the specifications of the solver team. The findings provide theoretical implications for the literature on crowdsourcing and managerial guidance for solvers, seekers, and intermediaries.