Convenor
Convenor's affiliation
Niharika Garud
University of Melbourne
Co-convenors
Rakesh Pati, Viraji Jayaweera
Abstract
This track, in its third year, continues the discussions on research on crowds in context of R&D, innovation, and entrepreneurship, initiated in Stockholm and Pisa R&D Management Conferences. In its third edition, this track would continue showcasing research on crowdsourcing and crowdfunding that has grown substantially over the past 15 years, plus would expand on the impact of new disruptive technologies and their implications for crowdfunding and crowdsourcing research in the field. (Afuah & Tucci, 2012). Specifically, we want to explore how the crowds integrate into and affect innovation, R&D, and entrepreneurial activities for larger firms and new ventures, especially by interacting with digital technologies (Ghezzi et al. 2017; Mollick, 2014). More research is required to explore how crowds interact with new technologies, and other elements of innovation ecosystem to influence innovation and entrepreneurship (Giustiziero et al., 2021; Han et al., 2022). This track focuses on bringing together conceptual and empirical research on crowds in innovation, R&D management, and entrepreneurship from diverse theoretical perspectives with different methodological approaches
Description
Research on crowds has gained considerable attention in the disciplines of management, innovation and entrepreneurship over the past decade (Bartl et al. 2012; Bilgram et al. 2008; Afuah & Tucci, 2012). With significant digital technological and scientific advancements, such as large language models, open platforms, social media, artificial intelligence, among others, the way in which crowdfunding and crowdsourcing have evolved and how they interact with ventures and organizations require further exploration. These include understanding how crowds co-create ideas and ventures, crowds as investors, early users, adopters, and customers for new ventures (Chiu, Liang, & Turban, 2014; Kozinets, Hemetsberger, & Schau, 2008; Mollick, 2014; Wei et al. 2023). Further, how established organizations benefit from access to the crowds and critical ecosystem participants for co-creating products and services, reshaping the fundamentals of corporate innovation (von Hippel 2005; Cui and Wu 2016; Brem et al., 2018). The evolving roles of crowds have opened new opportunities, resources, and new forms of capital to businesses, they also bring new risks and uncertainties with them (Agrawal, Catalini, & Goldfarb, 2014; Cumming et al. 2021). Thus, it is critical for organizations and entrepreneurs to effectively leverage crowds, especially crowdsourcing and crowdfunding, for managing their R&D, innovation, and entrepreneurial activities. Mechanisms through which business can participate, manage, and leverage interactions with crowds need systematic and thoughtful analyses (Giustiziero, Kretschmer, Somaya, & Wu, 2021; Han, Zhou, Lowik, & de WeerdNederhof, 2022). Theoretical and empirical research must explore aspects that stimulate the interactions, outcomes, and performance on crowd platforms, particularly regarding R&D, innovations, crowdfunding, and crowdsourcing.
The 3rd edition of this track encourages scholars to submit conceptual and empirical works related to the following topics (but not limited to) and we welcome methodologically diverse research works (qualitative, quantitative, mixed method approaches):
1. Crowdsourcing, Crowdfunding, and Innovation: Understanding mechanisms of how ventures and organizations engage with digital platforms for crowdfunding, how they engage in crowdsourcing for innovation, problem-solving, and idea generation. What strategies facilitate effective engagement with the crowd in the pursuit of novel solutions and ideas? What are the latest trends in leveraging crowds for value creation in the digital age? What is the role of new technology in managing and optimizing the crowd?
2. Crowds, Venturing, and Entrepreneurship: How crowds influence product development, market validation, and scaling of startups, shaping entrepreneurial success? How do crowdfunding platforms shape the development of startup products and services?
3. Crowd-Based Ideation, Product Development, and R&D: Exploring the roles of the crowd in ideation, product development, R&D, and breakthroughs in technology and science. How do decentralized teams and online communities impact technological advancements and breakthroughs?
4. Crowds, Technology Adoption, Governance, Ethics, and Regulatory Considerations: Exploring adoption and diffusion of emerging technologies in the context of crowds with governance, ethical and regulatory lenses. How are the crowds influencing and accelerating the process of adoption and digital transformation across industries? What are responsible governance mechanisms to ensure fair competition and user safety?
5. Diversity and Inclusion research in Crowdfunding and Crowdsourcing. Also exploring how digital platforms and crowd participation be accessible to all, including underserved, discriminated populations and developing regions?
6. Performance and Progress Metrics, Evaluation of Outcomes: Exploring metrics and frameworks that assess the impact and effectiveness of crowd-driven innovation and entrepreneurial efforts. How do we quantify and compare success?