Gifts from the people: thinking about user resources

This conceptual paper positions actors like users, on-line user communities, and the crowd as groups who possess a set of resources that are valuable within innovation processes. Previous research tends to position these... [ view full abstract ]

This conceptual paper positions actors like users, on-line user communities, and the crowd as groups who possess a set of resources that are valuable within innovation processes. Previous research tends to position these groups as adjuncts to producer firm-level concerns and focuses on their outputs rather than the resources they call upon in order to innovate. This focus on outputs has resulted in an incomplete understanding of the resource base possessed by these groups. Drawing on the literature this paper outlines a cluster of resources and proposes a series of questions and challenges for further research that arise from adopting a resource-based approach.