Crowdsourcing for addressing grand challenges: Sponsor-challenge fit, identified motivation, and the intention to submit
Christian Garaus, Marion Garaus, Udo Wagner
kHUB post date: July 2025
Originally published: January 27, 2025 (PDMA JPIM • Vol 42, Issue 4 • July 2025)
Read time: 60 minutes
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Despite the growing interest in using crowdsourcing to address grand challenges such as climate change, the underlying mechanism that explains users' intention to submit ideas to such crowdsourcing initiatives of relevance for wider society is poorly understood. Building on the self-determination theory, this article investigates different types of motivation and provides compelling theoretical and empirical evidence for the critical role of one motivation which is so far under-researched, that of identified motivation (i.e., which is personally important and consciously valued), in triggering users' intention to submit. We further identify a new construct stimulating motivation—sponsor-challenge fit—and reveal identified motivation as an underlying mechanism explaining the influence of sponsor-challenge fit on the intention to submit to crowdsourcing initiatives addressing grand challenges. We demonstrate the importance of identified motivation compared to other types of motivation and explore two moderators (sponsor transparency and sponsor capability) in two scenario-based experiments involving fictitious crowdsourcing initiatives. The first study demonstrates that increased sponsor transparency (i.e., open disclosure of submission guidelines and selection criteria) strengthens the effect of sponsor-challenge fit on users' identified motivation and, consequently, their intention to submit. The second study reveals that sponsor capability (i.e., financial and operational ability to develop ideas further) can mitigate the negative effects of a low sponsor-challenge fit, thereby enhancing identified motivation even when the fit is low. Our article contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the identified motivation's role in addressing grand challenges, clarifying the impact of the alignment between sponsor and challenge on engagement, and demonstrating how sponsor transparency benefits organizations with high fit while sponsor capability aids those with low fit.
Practitioner Points
- Our research highlights the importance of sponsor alignment with the challenge. A strong alignment between the sponsor's values and the grand challenge they aim to address, significantly enhances user engagement in crowdsourcing initiatives.
- Increasing sponsor transparency about the process and criteria for idea selection can further enhance identified motivation and engagement. This is particularly beneficial for organizations with a high fit to the challenge, as transparent communication builds trust and encourages more submissions.
- Demonstrating high sponsor capability can effectively boost identified motivation, even for organizations with a lower fit to the challenge. By showcasing a serious commitment to developing submitted ideas, organizations can mitigate concerns and enhance user participation.
- Policymakers can support crowdsourcing initiatives by ensuring a high sponsor-challenge fit and co-financing the development of winning ideas. Additionally, setting standards for sponsor transparency can enhance participant trust and motivation, leading to more effective solutions for grand challenges.