The differential effect of learning from others on creative performance over individual tenure: empirical evidence from open innovation communities

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore how and when learning from others promotes creative performance over the contributor’s tenure in the context of open innovation communities. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyze a publicly available data set that includes 25,923 innovative items developed by 2,194 contributors from an open innovation community of an online game spanning eight years. Logistic regression model is used for analyzing the data. Findings The results show that multicultural experiences are negatively related to contributor’s creative performance, and this negative relationship weakens as contributor’s tenure increases. While diverse skills are positively related to contributor’s creative performance, and this positive relationship strengthens as contributor’s tenure increases. Originality/value This research highlights the importance of online team collaboration in knowledge transfer through learning from others in open innovation communities. By identifying two outcomes of learning from others through online team collaboration, the authors demonstrate the double-edged role of learning from others and advance the understanding on how the effect of learning from others varies over the contributor’s tenure. These results expand the understanding of online team collaboration and provide a new perspective for research on learning from others.