Gamified monetary reward designs: Offering certain versus chance-based rewards

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Adam, Martin; Reinelt, Annika; Roethke, Konstantin

Abstract: To motivate visitors to engage with websites, e-tailers widely employ monetary r ... Expand

Abstract: To motivate visitors to engage with websites, e-tailers widely employ monetary rewards (e.g., vouchers, discounts) in their website designs. With advances in user interface technologies, many e-tailers have started to offer gamified monetary reward designs (MRDs), which require visitors to earn the monetary reward by playing a game, rather than simply claiming the reward. However, little is known about whether and why gamified MRDs engage visitors compared to their non-gamified counterpart. Even less is known about the effectiveness of gamified MRDs when providing certain or chance-based rewards, in that visitors do or do not know what reward they will gain for successfully performing in the game. Drawing on cognitive evaluation theory, we investigate gamified MRDs with certain or chance-based rewards and contrast them to non-gamified MRDs with certain rewards in user registration systems. Our results from a multi-method approach encompassing the complementary features of a randomised field experiment (N = 651) and a randomised online experiment (N = 330) demonstrate differential effects of the three investigated MRDs on user registration. Visitors encountering either type of gamified MRD are more likely to register than those encountering a non-gamified MRD. Moreover, gamified MRDs with chance-based rewards have the highest likelihood of user registrations. We also show that MRDs have distinct indirect effects on user registration via anticipated experiences of competence and sensation. Overall, the paper offers theoretical insights and practical guidance on how and why gamified MRDs are effective for e-tailers. Collapse

Topics: website electronic mail electronic commerce gamification website design

Methods: experiment randomized field experiment survey experimental task mixed method

Theories: cognitive evaluation theory self determination theory

The role of system-use practices for sustaining motivation in crowdsourcing: A technology-in-practice perspective

2023 | Information Systems Journal | Citations: 0

Authors: Alam, Sultana Lubna; Sun, Ruonan

Abstract: The success of crowdsourcing (CS) systems depends on sustained participation, wh ... Expand

Abstract: The success of crowdsourcing (CS) systems depends on sustained participation, which is an ongoing challenge for the majority of CS providers. Unfortunately, participants are frequently demotivated by technical difficulties and the incorrect use of CS systems, which can result in CS failure. Although the literature generally assumes that sustained participation in CS is determined by a shift between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, the role of system-use practices in facilitating such a shift remains unknown. We explore how CS system-use practices influence participants' sustained motivation, evolving from initiation to progression to sustention. Using the notion of technology-in-practice as a lens, we develop and examine a process model using an in-depth case study of a large-scale ongoing CS project, the Australian Newspaper Digitisation Program. The findings suggest that CS participants' motivation is shaped by an evolving combination of three basic components (i.e., contextual condition, outcome and action intensity) and mediated by two types of system-use practice (i.e., passive and active). Passive-use practices facilitate sustaining motivation from initiation to progression, whereas active-use practices have a key role in sustention. Our study contributes to the emerging literature on the substantial role of system-use practices in sustaining motivation, resulting in sustained participation. The findings also offer actionable insights into improving the viability of CS systems in retaining and motivating continuous and increased contributions from participants. Collapse

Topics: information system use strategic management intrinsic motivation

Methods: qualitative interview case study business process modeling theory development synthesis

Theories: technology acceptance theory

The Effects of Digitally Delivered Nudges in a Corporate Wellness Program

2023 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 1

Authors: Babar, Yash; Curley, Shawn; Ke, Zhihong; Liu, De; Sheffler, Zachary

Abstract: We investigate how two digitally delivered nudges, namely light social support ... Expand

Abstract: We investigate how two digitally delivered nudges, namely light social support (nonverbal cues such as kudos or likes) and motivational messaging, affect employees' self-reported physical activity in an online, corporate wellness program. Within this unique field setting, using data from several years, we found evidence that both types of nudges provide benefits beyond the effect of cash incentives. However, the effects vary by individual, depending on whether the employee is actively engaging in physical activity, and by time, depending on how long the employee has been in the wellness program. We found light social support to be less effective over time, while motivational messages were found to be more effective with the duration in the program and generally more effective for physically inactive users. Our findings have implications for the design of wellness systems, suggesting different approaches depending on an employee's current activity level and tenure in the program.De Liu is a Xian Dong Eric Jing Professor of Information and Decision Sciences at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota. He received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin, and his master's and bachelor's degrees from Tsinghua University. His recent research interests include gamification, AI /augmented reality, internetbased auctions and market mechanisms, online reviews, and crowdfunding. His research has appeared in leading journals such as MIS Quarterly, Management Science, Information Systems Research, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Market Research, and Production and Operations Management. He has served as an associate editor for Information Systems Research and Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce. He is also the academic director of the Business Analytics programs at the Carlson School of Management.Yash Babar is an assistant professor in the Department of Operations and Information Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in information and decision sciences and his bachelor's degree from BITS Pilani Goa. He researches the socioeconomic impacts of information systems exploring online-offline interactions in digital platforms like the gig economy, online communities, social media, and mobile fitness applications. His work has appeared in Information Systems Research and MIS Quarterly and at several international IS conferences. Collapse

Topics: mobile phone web forum intrinsic motivation user behavior

Methods: longitudinal research difference in differences Poisson regression propensity score matching robustness check

Theories: self determination theory

The motivation paradox: Understanding contradictory effects of awards on contribution quantity versus quality in virtual community

2023 | Information & Management | Citations: 0

Authors: Banerjee, Shankhadeep; Bhattacharyya, Samadrita; Bose, Indranil

Abstract: We use the lens of the intrinsic/extrinsic motivation theory to holistically mod ... Expand

Abstract: We use the lens of the intrinsic/extrinsic motivation theory to holistically model the effects of intangible awards on member contribution in virtual communities. Using multiple studies on Yelp, we validate that the influence of award stimuli on contribution outcomes become significantly moderated by the aspect of contribution (quantity versus quality) and the novelty of stimuli (time and repetition of awards) to interestingly form divergent (downward versus upward) yet theoretically explicable curvilinear trajectories of contribution. This study contributes to IS literature on virtual communities and social-cognitive literature on work motivation and offers insights to community managers to design better incentive systems. Collapse

Topics: online community intrinsic motivation electronic health blockchain online review

Methods: theory development ANOVA parametric test regression analysis method experimental group

Theories: motivation theory self determination theory cognitive evaluation theory

Organizing Entrepreneurial Teams: A Field Experiment on Autonomy over Choosing Teams and Ideas

2023 | Organization Science | Citations: 1

Authors: Boss, Viktoria; Dahlander, Linus; Ihl, Christoph; Jayaraman, Rajshri

Abstract: Scholars have suggested that autonomy can lead to better entrepreneurial team pe ... Expand

Abstract: Scholars have suggested that autonomy can lead to better entrepreneurial team performance. Yet, there are different types of autonomy, and they come at a cost. We shed light on whether two fundamental organizational design choices—granting teams autonomy to (1) choose project ideas to work on and (2) choose team members to work with—affect performance. We run a field experiment involving 939 students in a lean startup entrepreneurship course over 11 weeks. The aim is to disentangle the separate and joint effects of granting autonomy over choosing teams and choosing ideas compared with a baseline treatment with preassigned ideas and team members. We find that teams with autonomy over choosing either ideas or team members outperform teams in the baseline treatment as measured by pitch deck performance. The effect of choosing ideas is significantly stronger than the effect of choosing teams. However, the performance gains vanish for teams that are granted full autonomy over choosing both ideas and teams. This suggests the two forms of autonomy are substitutes. Causal mediation analysis reveals that the main effects of choosing ideas or teams can be partly explained by a better match of ideas with team members’ interests and prior network contacts among team members, respectively. Although homophily and lack of team diversity cannot explain the performance drop among teams with full autonomy, our results suggest that self-selected teams fall prey to overconfidence and complacency too early to fully exploit the potential of their chosen idea. We discuss the implications of these findings for research on organizational design, autonomy, and innovation.History: This paper has been accepted for the Organization Science Special Issue on Experiments in Organizational Theory.Funding: The authors are grateful for funding from the Innovation Growth Laboratory, the Peter Curtius Foundation, and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [Grant CRC TRR 190].Supplemental Material: The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1520. Collapse

Topics: team productivity entrepreneurship missing data intrinsic motivation evaluation criteria

Methods: experiment experimental group survey causal mediation analysis field experiment

Algorithm as Boss or Coworker? Randomized Field Experiment on Algorithmic Control and Collaboration in Gig Platform

2023 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Chan, Jason; Kyung, Nakyung; Yoon, Sojung; Kim, Yeonseo

Abstract: ... Expand

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Topics: artificial intelligence platform worker decision making mobile application human computer interaction

Methods: computational algorithm survey experiment field experiment robustness check

Token Incentives in a Volatile Crypto Market: The Effects of Token Price Volatility on User Contribution

2023 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Chen, Kun; Fan, Yifan; Liao, Shaoyi Stephen

Abstract: Crypto tokens, issued and managed via smart contracts, function as rewards in bl ... Expand

Abstract: Crypto tokens, issued and managed via smart contracts, function as rewards in blockchain systems to encourage user participation. Distinct from monetary incentives, token incentives are uncertain in reward magnitude due to the large swings in token prices on crypto markets. By focusing on token price volatility, this study investigates how the reward uncertainty affects user contribution in a tokenized digital platform. Our empirical setting is Steemit, a platform where bloggers write posts and share token rewards based on their posts' popularity. We find that while high token price volatility induces a large volume of blog posts, it diminishes post quality. The dichotomous effects are explained via two mechanisms: users' direct reactions to reward uncertainties and their indirect reactions, mediated by altered token preference amid volatility shocks. Deeply exploring this dynamic process, our results reveal that token price volatility facilitates a platform's network short-term effect but impairs long-term user creativity. Our empirical findings thus extend the literature on blockchain economics and cryptocurrencies and have practical implications for the design of incentive mechanisms on tokenized digital platforms. Collapse

Topics: blog blockchain digital platform cryptocurrency user behavior

Methods: longitudinal research instrumental variables estimation data transformation principal component analysis vector autoregression

Theories: motivation crowding theory

Impact of Bot Involvement in an Incentivized Blockchain-Based Online Social Media Platform

2023 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Delkhosh, Fatemeh; Gopal, Ram D.; Patterson, Raymond A.; Yaraghi, Niam

Abstract: Incentivized blockchain-based online social media (BOSM), where creators and cur ... Expand

Abstract: Incentivized blockchain-based online social media (BOSM), where creators and curators of popular content are paid in cryptocurrency, have recently emerged. Traditional social media ecosystems have experienced significant bot involvement in their platforms, which has often had a negative impact on both users and platforms. BOSM can provide additional direct financial incentives as motivation for both bots' and human users' engagement. Using the panel vector autoregression and regression discontinuity in time framework, we analyze two distinct data sets from Steemit, the largest and most popular BOSM, to study the impact of bot engagement on human users and the impact of changes in financial reward on user engagement. Interestingly, our findings demonstrate that while increased engagement by bots is positively associated with engagement by human users, the association between bot engagement and human user engagement decreases as the number of votes for a post increases. We also find that shifts in economic incentives significantly influence the behavior of both human users and bots. This research provides significant insights on how social media platforms can leverage economic incentives to influence user behavior and, more importantly, leverage bots' activity to increase the engagement of their human users. Collapse

Topics: social media user behavior application programming interface participatory design blockchain

Methods: longitudinal research theory development design methodology regression discontinuity design vector autoregression

Research on the Psychological Satisfaction Mechanism of Video Platform Users' Re-creation Behavior

2023 | HICSS | Citations: 0

Authors: Dong, X.; Liu, Y.; Hu, C.

Abstract: Re-creation behavior is an important way for video website users to generate co ... Expand

Abstract: Re-creation behavior is an important way for video website users to generate content. It can help users understand and develop themselves, improve the retention rate of platform users, and promote the emergence of new business models for video websites. Based on the uses and gratifications approach, this study proposes a research model of the psychological satisfaction process of "motivation-emotion-intention" with the re-creation video platform as the research background. Through data verification using SmartPLS, the research results show that four types of motivations, namely mimicking, helping, validation, and self-expression promote the satisfaction of lurkers' emotional needs; two types of emotions, the sense of belonging and the sense of achievement, promote lurkers to generate re-creation intentions. Collapse

Topics: user behavior online community website intrinsic motivation

Methods: survey PLS tool data transformation exploratory factor analysis

SLEEP TRACKING AS A STRESSOR: EXPERIENCES FROM SMART RING USERS

2023 | European Conference On Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Feng, Shan; Mäntymäki, Matti; Salmela, Hannu

Abstract: This study explores the stress that users attribute to sleep tracking with a sm ... Expand

Abstract: This study explores the stress that users attribute to sleep tracking with a smart ring. Prior research has discussed the challenges and barriers related to sleep-tracking technologies, but specific research on the stress caused by these technologies is scarce. This study explores the potential stressors that users attribute to sleep tracking executed via a smart ring. We conducted 38 semi-structured interviews and used thematic analysis to identify eight potential stressors from sleep tracking: complexity, invasion, inaccuracy, unreliability, data-perception discrepancy, pursuit of perfect data, vague guidance and interpretations, and overload with multiple self-tracking technologies. We further theorize these potential stressors using the person-technology fit model. The paper contributes to the nascent Information Systems research on technostress in the context of sleep tracking. Collapse

Topics: technostress website smart wearable device smart watch smartphone

Methods: qualitative interview qualitative content analysis theory development personal interview wearables based research