Specialization in Online Innovation Communities

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-XVI

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2. 1 Introduction

   • Jan Bierwald

   Pages 1-5

3. Part A: Foundation of dissertation

   • Jan Bierwald

   Pages 6-52

4. Part B: Empirical study

   • Jan Bierwald

   Pages 53-126

5. Part C: Summary and discussion

   • Jan Bierwald

   Pages 127-142

6. Back Matter

   Pages 143-163

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Jan Bierwald presents the individual behavior of members in Online Innovation Communities, in which thousands of users contribute voluntarily to a jointly developed outcome. The individual member behavior is explored by conducting a detailed content analysis of more than 7,300 mails. His study shows on which content individual members focus their contributions and how specialized members behave within the community. This leads to various implications for today’s community management to improve the attracting, controlling and retaining of their members.

• Division of labor
• Individual behavior
• Online Innovation Communites
• User Innovation

• Technology and Innovation Management, Hamburg University of Technology, Hamburg, Germany

  Jan Bierwald

Jan Bierwald worked as management consultant before he gained his doctorate degree while working with Prof. Dr. Cornelius Herstatt at the Institute of Technology and Innovation Management. After finalizing his PhD he decided to rejoin the consulting sector.

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