The Effects of Self-Construal and Task Difficulty on Consumer Attributions of Firm Effort: Implications for Cocreation

Abstract

Products often require assembly before use. Such customer cocreation experiences can create customer value. Lusch and Vargo (2006, p. 284) define cocreation as “the (customer) participation in the creation of the core offering itself.” How do customer attributions about the quality of effort exerted by the firm in product design impact customer-related outcomes in cocreation? This research explores that question and expands the literature on the psychological implications of cocreation. We draw on multiple literatures to form our hypotheses. The literature on product failure indicates that consumers blame manufacturers for difficult experiences (Folkes and Kotsos 1986). Bendapudi and Leone (2003) find that consumers make self-serving attributions, crediting themselves for successful outcomes and blaming others for failures. Consumer may also show gratitude towards the firm (Morales 2005). We propose that consumer attributions during product assembly experiences are influenced by situational cues that prime different self-construals. Independent self-construals constitute selves that are autonomous, unique, and bounded; interdependent self-construals constitute selves that are inextricably bound with others (Markus and Kitayama 1991). Because interdependents feel greater connection to others (Triandis 1995), feel greater empathy with others (Joireman, Needham and Cummings 2002), and consider contextual effects on behaviours (Miyamoto, Nisbett, and Masuda 2006), we hypothesized that compared to independents, interdependents would show fewer negative attributions for difficult experiences. Difficult experiences present greater self-related threat for independents (e.g., a difficult experience may suggest that the consumer lacks certain individual-level skills), which should cause consumers to externalize blame. Interdependents consider non-firm contextual factors, which should enable these consumers to consider contextual factors and reduce blame towards the firm. We also hypothesized that attributions about a firm’s effort in product design would mediate the effect of the task experience on product attitudes.