Crowdsourcing Properties and Mechanisms of Mega Hackathons: The Case of Junction

Abstract

Hackathons are time-bounded crowdsourcing events, which have recently prospered in many technology and science domains across the globe. We study Europe's largest hackathon, Junction, to better understand the distinct crowdsourcing properties and mechanisms of this type of hackathon as a form of tournamentbased crowdsourcing. Moreover, we determined how they add value to attending companies and participants. In this regard, six qualitative and quantitative datasets from participants, companies, and the organizer were collected and analyzed. Our findings revealed five distinct crowdsourcing properties and mechanisms of mega hackathons, including intricate crowd selection, strong crowd vibe, instant crowd feedback, versatile crowd potential, and pervasive information technology. Based on our findings, we argue that these properties and mechanisms increase the possibility of finding innovative solutions to companies' problems in Junction-like mega hackathons. This article concludes with managerial implications for companies to consciously plan and prepare while knowing what to expect during the hackathon.

Who captures value from hackathons? Innovation contests with collective intelligence tools bridging creativity and coupled open innovation

“…Participation is subject to the rules and conditions imposed by the hackathon initiator or organizer and is usually awarded with prizes. Whereas most hackathons have a single initiator, there are also so-called mega hackathons that agglomerate several initiators (Jaribion et al, 2023). It is thus important for participants to evaluate the intentions of the organizer before responding to a call for participation.…”

The AI‐augmented crowd: How human crowdvoters adopt AI (or not)

“…Over the past two decades, OI (Chesbrough, 2003) has gained momentum, especially driven by the ascent of digital technologies enabling powerful innovation sources from online communities and crowds (Butticè & Ughetto, 2023; Füller et al, 2009; Jaribion et al, 2023). In OI, firms’ distributed innovation processes involve managed knowledge flows across organizational boundaries (Chesbrough & Bogers, 2014), opening up formerly closed innovation processes to inbound and outbound knowledge flows (Chesbrough, 2003).…”

“…Open Innovation (OI) has gained momentum over the last two decades as digital technologies have enabled online communities and crowds to become powerful sources of innovation (Butticè & Ughetto, 2023; Füller et al, 2009; Jaribion et al, 2023). Through OI, organizations are “opening” up their formerly closed innovation processes, potentially allowing both inbound and outbound flows (Chesbrough, 2003).…”

A Data Envelopment Analysis Evaluation Study of Urban Crowd Sourcing Competitiveness Based on Evidence From 21 Chinese Cities

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