CROWDSOURCING - A NEW ORGANIZATION OF COOPERATION AND INVOLVEMENT OF THE CUSTOMER IN THE PROCESS OF VALUE CREATION

Abstract

The companies more and more often take measures aimed at creating long-term and profitable relationships with customers in order to attract and retain the capital supply, which is reflected in the level of customer capital generated. When leading to achieve this goal the companies launch an innovation process and take actions to involve the customer in the process of value creation. Crowdsourcing is one of the methods for this purpose. This method is based on the knowledge and experiences of not exactly identified crowd, and on the use of IT infrastructure, it allows utilizing the potential and experience of final users of knowledge embodied in the products offered on the market. The development of media enabling the establishment of, in fact, real-time communication with the customer, inclines many companies to open a crowdsourcing platform. However, many of these initiatives end up in failure. It raises the need to identify the factors determining the effective and efficient use of crowdsourcing in building the customer capital. In order to face these challenges, the key objective of the article was formed in the following way: identification of the opportunities and barriers of using crowdsourcing in the process of customer capital creation. On the basis of literature studies, results of research conducted at domestic and international centers, as well as on practical experience of companies, it was demonstrated that the effective use of crowdsourcing is not only connected with the need to develop the strategy, but also to develop and implement a new organization of work based on process approach. In such organization the customer, appearing in the role of an employee, should have the ability of information transfer provided, and must be motivated appropriately to his/her expectations. It does not change the fact that, just like every employee of a company, his/her potential, in terms of the contribution to the process of value creation, is subject to continuous assessment from the perspective of changing objectives of the company itself. Thus, the "not exactly identified crowd," considered as one of the pillars of crowdsourcing, must be "recognized" and used according to its potential. The volatility characterizing today: behavior of units, their expectations, as well as the organization of processes aimed at creating value for both parties of the relationship, requires that the process of "crowd" recognition and the ways of its use is continuous, what is enabled by process approach.