1. GLOBAL SEARCH & THE TWISTED ROLES OF CONSUMERS AND PRODUCERS CROWD-BASED SOURCING Robert M. Bauer Thomas Gegenhuber OUI Conference 2014

2. Point of departure Crowdsourcing initiatives proliferate and mutate rapidly. Seeing the forest for the trees is challenging and imperative. Guiding question How does crowd-based sourcing generate value? Definition We speak of crowd-based sourcing when actors solve problems or execute jobs by tasking external sources (=outsourcing partners) identified through broadcast search.

3. creative expertise critical information sophistication bargaining power execution capacity actors select few contributions aggregate many contributions mobilize all actors

4. mobilizing all actors selecting few contributions aggregating many contributions creative expertise execution capacity critical information bargaining power quasi-leisure activity wage differentials pro bono or en passant reputation or skill building accessing idle or undervalued human resources Conjecture 1: Crowd-based sourcing generates four types of value: identifying creative expertise and critical information, and increasing execution capacity and bargaining power. Conjecture 2: Crowd-based sourcing utilizes marginalized human resources that lay idle or are undervalued. Conjecture 3: Crowds are potentially powerful actors—capable of fighting for procedural and distributive justice, and curbing individual freedom.

5. GLOBAL SEARCH & THE TWISTED ROLES OF CONSUMERS AND PRODUCERS CROWD-BASED SOURCING Robert M. Bauer Thomas Gegenhuber OUI Conference 2014