eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

This thesis examines the motivation regarding crowd participation in hybrid ideation competitions. First, previous literature and research is used in order to establish a comprehensive theoretical framework of motivational constructs in this context. Second, an empirical study is conducted to explore motivational factors and participant profiles in the context of hybrid ideation competitions. The overlaps of the empirical findings and the theoretical framework constitute a foundation for assessing motivational dimensions in regards to competition design and innovation performance.

The empirical data of the study was collected via an online survey. The final survey questionnaire was sent to 5,760 participants of a hybrid ideation competition and a total of 331 complete responses were registered. Subsequently, two exploratory multivariate techniques were conducted in order to analyze the data in terms of the research questions. First, underlying dimensions of motivation of crowd participation in hybrid ideation competitions were identified through factor analysis. Second, cluster analysis was performed in order to group participants in different profiles of motivation and compare these clusters to contextual characteristics.

The analysis revealed seven underlying factors of motivation regarding crowd participation in hybrid ideation competitions. These dimensions were found to align with the constructed theoretical framework for the most part and were further validated by the evaluation of contextual participant characteristics.

As this thesis provides valuable insights into motivational patterns of crowd participation in hybrid ideation competitions, it simultaneously constitutes a thorough foundation for future research regarding ideation competitions in other contexts and environments.