How relationship norms and task complexity affect consumer perceptions of quality in crowdsourcing

Although prior research indicates that crowdsourcing is primarily beneficial for companies, this work reveals, across three studies, that quality perceptions of crowd-sourced (vs. company-generated) products are shaped by relationship norms: communal norms (vs. exchange norms). Study 1 indicates that developing a communal (vs. exchange) relationship with the company enhances quality perceptions of crowdsourced (vs. company-generated) products. Study 2 shows that firms' innovation ability works as an underlying mechanism: when consumers develop a communal (vs. exchange) bond with the company, they attribute greater innovation competence to crowdsourcing (vs. company-generated innovations). Finally, study 3 reveals that the beneficial effects of communal (vs. exchange) norms on perceived quality crowdsourced products only hold when the product innovation lacks complexity, and the effect is mitigated with high-complexity tasks. By demonstrating the importance of relationship norms and their interaction with innovation complexity, we resolve mixed findings on consumers quality perceptions towards crowdsourcing, contributing to recent studies and further offering important implications for firms seeking to leverage crowdsourcing strategies effectively.