Explore the feasibility of adopting crowdsourcing for innovative problem solving

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the feasibility of adopting crowdsourcing for enhancing innovative problem solving through task design on task attributes. Task attributes have been proven to be an important factor influencing participation and engagement of crowdworkers. Design/methodology/approach – A survey questionnaire was developed and data from potential and experienced crowdworkers was collected and analyzed to identify the influence of task attributes on the quantity and quality of innovative solutions from crowds. This study finds that extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of task attributes are linked to psychological participation attention and the contribution of innovative solutions. Findings – It is found that crowdsourcing projects with higher awards and recognition as extrinsic motivation is positively associated with the quantity of solution. Competitive selection with performance feedback, problems with diversity of knowledge and job autonomy with more information from sponsors are positive associate with the quality of innovative solutions. These results can complement existing research studies on how task attributes influence the performance of existing crowdworkers in crowdsourcing and can also be a starting point for analyzing potential crowdworkers’ psychological perspectives. Originality/value – The novelty of this paper is that it illustrates the influential effects of five selected task attributes – monetary rewards and recognition, competitive selection, knowledge diversity, task complexity and autonomy – to enhance extrinsic and intrinsic motivation toward crowdsourcing feasibility in terms of quantity and quality of innovative solutions.