A Comparison of Creative Behaviours in Online Communities across Cultures

Abstract

In this study we shed light on the impact of cultural differences on creative processes and innovation creation in online communities. Analysing English- and Chinese-speaking online basketball communities, we investigate how innovations develop in virtual consumer groups and what motives drive members to engage in joint innovation creation. Similarly to findings from creativity research in offline contexts, we find that culture does have an influence on creative processes and expressions. While English- and Chinese-speaking online communities are similar in their high quality and quantity of creative outputs, they differ with regard to innovation patterns and the kinds of emerging innovations. From a practical perspective the findings suggest that companies that aim to collaborate with communities across cultures have to align the interaction with the members' different expectations and routines. Further, what communities consider as creative and innovative may depend on culture. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.