Complementor Innovation through Crowd-based Knowledge Networks: The Moderating Effects of Firm Size and Network Centrality

Complementors increasingly leverage distributed modes of innovation such as crowds to co-create knowledge. However, our understanding regarding their capacity to effectively navigate crowds remains limited. We examine the effect of complementors’ participation in crowd-based knowledge networks on innovation performance. We identify knowledge networks by analyzing GitHub collaboration data related to complementors from 2017 to 2021. Using corresponding innovation data from app marketplaces, we employ a generalized estimating equations model. Our findings suggest a positive effect of knowledge network participation on innovation performance, while network centrality and firm size negatively moderate the relationship. Consequently, small peripheral complementors are more capable to leverage positive effects of crowd-based knowledge collaboration, while a central location might foster exposure to opportunistic behavior. This short paper contributes to platform ecosystem and knowledge network literature and provides valuable insights on distributed innovation for complementors.