Consumer Coproduction Journeys and Crafting in Expert Services
(A2020-64754)

AUTHORS

Jelena Spanjol, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich; Courtney Nations, University of North Florida; Laurel Anderson, Arizona State University; Martin Mende, Florida State University; Hilary Downey, Queen’s University Belfast ; Josephine Go Jefferies, Newcastle University ; Amy Ostrom, Arizona State University

KEYWORDS

TSR; Coproduction; ExpertServices

ABSTRACT

While most expert service professionals and researchers agree that engaged consumers are desirable, on the flip side, increased demands reflect mounting personal responsibility for understanding and making “correct” consumption choices, without possessing the corresponding level of expertise. We suggest that service consumers face obligations and tasks that resemble those of employees and use the lens of “job crafting” to illuminate aspects of this responsibilization. We explore what we call consumer coproduction crafting (CCC) in the context of diabetic consumers engaging in online discussion forums. Employing a netnographic approach, we collected data from two forums. Our analysis uncovers three major themes in CCC revolving around (1) expertise integration dynamics, (2) coproduction crafting demands (negotiating supervision, developing entrepreneurial thinking and acting, and assembling scaffolding), and (3) coproduction crafting modes (reactive, proactive, and inactive).