Rules of Crowdsourcing: Models, Issues, and Systems of Control

Saxton, Gregory D.; Oh, Onook; Kishore, Rajiv

Rules of Crowdsourcing: Models, Issues, and Systems of Control

Information Systems Management, vol. 30, pp. 2-20, 2013

46 Pages Posted: 12 Dec 2012 Last revised: 5 Mar 2015

See all articles by Gregory D. Saxton

Gregory D. Saxton

Schulich School of Business, York University

Rajiv Kishore

SUNY at Buffalo - School of Management

Date Written: 2011

Abstract

In this paper, we first provide a practical yet rigorous definition of crowdsourcing that incorporates “crowds,” outsourcing, and social web technologies. We then analyze 103 well-known crowdsourcing websites using content analysis methods and the hermeneutic reading principle. Based on our analysis, we develop a “taxonomic theory” of crowdsourcing by organizing the empirical variants in nine distinct forms of crowdsourcing models. We also discuss key issues and directions, concentrating on the notion of managerial control systems.

Keywords: crowdsourcing, outsourcing, e-business, social web, social media, advanced Internet technologies, Web 2.0

JEL Classification: O30, O32, O33

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Saxton, Gregory D. and Oh, Onook and Kishore, Rajiv, Rules of Crowdsourcing: Models, Issues, and Systems of Control (2011). Information Systems Management, vol. 30, pp. 2-20, 2013. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2187999