Explaining Persistent Ineffectiveness in Professional Online Communities: Multilevel Tensions and Misguided Coping Strategies

Mari-Klara Stein, Eric T.K. Lim, Chee-Wee Tan

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Abstract

Online communities (OCs) have become an increasingly prevalent way for organizations to bring people together to collaborate and create value. However, despite the abundance of extant literature, many studies still point to the lack of long-term sustainability of OCs. We contend that communities become dormant or obsolete over time because of manifestations of ineffectiveness—a state of the community that hinders the attainment of individual and collective desired outcomes. While ineffectiveness in OCs is common, it is less apparent why such ineffectiveness persists. Two knowledge gaps are particularly significant here. First, while the multilevel nature of OCs is acknowledged, corresponding difficulties in aligning individual and collective interests and behaviors have often been neglected in past studies. Second, rare longitudinal studies have revealed that community members respond to ineffectiveness with various coping behaviors. However, the impact of these coping behaviors may not turn out as desired. Consequently, we investigate the persistence of ineffectiveness from the perspective of multilevel and coping effects, addressing the following research question: How and why does ineffectiveness persist in online communities? Our critical realist case study offers a three-step explanatory framework: (1) underlying multilevel tensions in the community contribute to usage ineffectiveness (i.e., members are unable to use the OC effectively); (2) misguided coping behaviors contribute to ineffective adaptation (i.e., members are unable to cope with not being able to use the OC effectively); and (3) ineffectiveness persists due to the interaction between usage and adaptation ineffectiveness.
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer1
TidsskriftJournal of the Association for Information Systems
Vol/bind23
Udgave nummer1
Sider (fra-til)372-400
Antal sider29
ISSN1558-3457
DOI
StatusUdgivet - 2022

Emneord

  • Online community
  • Multilevel research
  • Ineffectiveness
  • Coping behavior
  • Tensions
  • Persistence of ineffectiveness
  • Qualitative research

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