Managing the Crowd: A Literature Review of Empirical Studies on Internal Crowdsourcing

Abstract

The phenomenon of crowdsourcing is increasingly being addressed in academic literature. Companies utilize crowdsourcing to search for solutions to internal problems outside of the companies’ boundaries, accessing the vast and diverse knowledge and creativity of people all over the world. More recently, a growing interest has emerged that concentrates on the intra-organizational application of this phenomenon—internal crowdsourcing. While conventional internal innovation activities are mostly concentrated within a few dedicated departments, this new approach helps companies to open up their innovation process to all employees. Internal crowdsourcing can help companies bridge geographical distances, integrate new employees, predict the market success of products, and create ideas for new businesses. This chapter aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing empirical findings regarding the management of internal crowdsourcing. In this review, 27 papers, covering more than 100 companies, are analysed. They are based on more than 800 interviews, participant observations, action design research, surveys, and datasets of internal innovation contests. The results of this review will help practitioners to design the management of internal crowdsourcing based on existing implementations and lessons learned, helping them to unleash the full innovation potential of their employees, creating a valuable competitive advantage.