Orchestrating connective value cocreation through online communities: a mixed-method investigation

Abstract In the digital age, online communities have revolutionized firms’ value-creation processes. However, how firms orchestrate interactions among heterogeneous users to enable connective value cocreation (CVC), a digitally mediated form of value cocreation based on sustained interaction, remains unexplored. To bridge this gap, this study investigates CVC mechanisms through a mixed-method investigation of Xiaomi’s online community, combining a qualitative case study with online community interaction analysis. Drawing on resource orchestration theory, we identify three orchestration actions—accessing, categorizing, and aligning—and show how they structure user roles and coordination dynamics in practice. The findings advance the understanding of the governance of crowd-based innovation and offer practical insights for firms seeking to manage online communities for sustained innovation outcomes.