Motivation, Reward Size and Contribution in Idea Crowdsourcing

Abstract

The literature on online communities has investigated motivations of contributors, but the effects of rewards on motivations and performance have hardly been addressed. In this study, we develop theory on the effects of reward size on motivation and performance of contributors. Performance refers to quantity, usefulness and novelty of contributions. By building on recent psychology literature, we distinguish between contextual and situational motivations. In this way, this paper contributes to both online communities and psychology literatures.