User Innovators’ Fairness Perceptions when Firms Commercialize their Innovations

Abstract

User innovators have become an important input source for firms’ innovation performance. Theoretically, the objectives, roles, and resources of users and firms are complementary and hence the commercialization of user innovations smooth and trouble-free. However, in reality, user innovators often feel exploited when firms adopt and commercialize their innovations. In some cases, this has led to severe conflicts. In order to understand when firms’ commercialization behavior results in user innovators’ perception of fairness or unfairness, we combine the theories of social exchange theory and organizational justice. The core of our conceptual model is the user innovator’s interpretation of the firm as either a social or an economic exchange partner. The model allows us to develop a series of propositions that may guide both firms’ commercialization behavior and serve as a starting point for future empirical research.