Understanding sustained participation in transactional virtual communities

• Published in: Decision Support Systems Vol. 53; no. 1; pp. 12 - 22
• Main Authors: Sun, Yongqiang, Fang, Yulin, Lim, Kai H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.04.2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Biological and medical sciences; Communities; Computer science; control theory; systems; Computer systems and distributed systems. User interface; Crowdsourcing; Decision support systems; Determinants; Exact sciences and technology; Expectancy-value theory; Expected values; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gaps; General aspects; Information sharing; Information systems. Data bases; Knowledge base; Knowledge management; Knowledge sharing; Learning; Memory organisation. Data processing; Occupational training. Personnel. Work management; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Self-efficacy; Social interactions. Communication. Group processes; Social learning; Social psychology; Software; Studies; Sustained participation; Task complexity; Transactional virtual community; Virtual communities; Virtual reality; Crowdsourcing; Knowledge sharing; Transactional virtual community; Expectancy-value theory; Social learning; Sustained participation; Self learning; Competition; Knowledge engineering; Task complexity; Value theory; Social network; Knowledge base; Virtual community; Modeling; Knowledge transfer; Employee; Motivation; Information source; Intention; Field inquiry; Reward
• ISSN: 0167-9236; 1873-5797
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dss.2011.10.006

This study aims to address two research gaps in prior studies on knowledge sharing in virtual communities (VCs). First, prior studies have focused on knowledge sharing VCs with no explicit reward system, but VCs sharing knowledge based on a competition-based reward system (e.g., transactional VCs) have not been explored. Second, prior related studies have concentrated on the determinants of initial participation in sharing knowledge rather than sustained participation despite there being important distinctions between these two stages of participation behavior. In this study, we focus on understanding sustained participation in knowledge sharing in transactional VCs by drawing on expectancy-value theory and a social learning process. Considering that a social learning process is involved in maintaining sustained participation, we propose that task complexity and self-efficacy – two social learning factors – moderate the relationship between motivation and sustained participation. A field survey with 205 subjects in a transactional virtual community was conducted to test the research model. According to the findings, extrinsic and intrinsic motivations significantly influence sustained participation intention. A negative interaction effect between extrinsic motivation and task complexity, as well as positive interaction effect between intrinsic motivation and self-efficacy, was also observed. A non-linear interaction effect between intrinsic motivation and task complexity was also found. Study implications and future research directions are also discussed. ► Extrinsic motivation plays an important role in the TVC context. ► Task complexity weakens the effect of extrinsic motivation on intention. ► Self efficacy enhances the effect of intrinsic motivation on intention. ► The effect of intrinsic motivation is low under high level of task complexity.