Crowdsourcing for production: a conceptual framework based on the literature review

Crowdsourcing – an open and innovative model to outsource tasks to an external crowd - allows easier access to a wide variety of skills and experience. Responding to an open call for contributions, members of online communities can participate in carrying out specific challenges, in serving particular organizational goals or in solving specific problems. Over the last years, crowdsourcing has become very popular for production processes. Several organizations and firms in different industries have opened their innovation processes to crowds outside their boundaries, users and customers are often involved to develop products in line with market needs. This study aims to provide a snapshot of the actual impact of crowdsourcing on the different stages of the full production cycle by leveraging on a systematic literature review approach. Starting from the selection and analysis of the relevant articles in the field, we present a comprehensive overview of potential and limits, risks and opportunities, disadvantages or concerns, as addressed in the literature, for the adoption of crowdsourcing in the production processes, from product design, through engineering, product development and configuration, to manufacturing. Besides, we propose a framework, relying also on case studies that emerged from the literature review, to identify where, how and to what extent crowdsourcing can be applied profitably within all the production processes. Finally, from the analysis conducted, we propose some indications for future research.