Internal Innovation Communities from a User’s Perspective: How to Foster Motivation for Participation

Abstract

In order to further include the employees’ creativity in the innovation processes, companies provide social software platforms for internal innovation communities to share, discuss and evaluate ideas. The main challenge for organizing such communities is to foster motivation for participation. In this paper, motivation theories are put in context with an innovation community concept developed at the automotive manufacturer Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. Firstly, an interview study analysis of this concept is used to identify new relevant expectations, hopes, needs and abilities of employees. Secondly, measures proposed in the past are evaluated. With the help of 20 semi-structured interviews it can be shown that each of the employees is unique and has own motivational deficiencies. Thus it is important that a concept for fostering motivation includes several measures which motivate the various users to participate. These measures are integrated into a holistic concept presented in this paper.