Facilitating value: How organizations deploy resources in social media-based brand communities

Abstract

An organization's production of resources is fundamental to value creation and is thus a key managerial decision. However, for organizations that host social media-based brand communities (SMBCs) research does not yet explain how they can deploy resources to facilitate value. To bridge this gap, this study applies service logic and a qualitative method to investigate the value-facilitating resource strategies of two cause organizations that host SMBCs. The findings reveal the organizations produce three interdependent categories of value-facilitating resources (People, Operational, Informational) and seven resource-shaping processes that supporters use in their value co- creating interactions. This research builds theory by clarifying how organizations facilitate value. It expands understanding of value co-creation in a digital context and deepens insights into the organizational resources required for value creation. For managers of SMBCs, this research demonstrates the types of resources that supporters may value and how to deploy these, for supporter and organizational value.