Understanding value co-creation in virtual communities: The key role of complementarities and trade-offs

Abstract Virtual communities form the principal environment favoring provider-client interaction. However, questions regarding way to manage these so that they might generate value have yet be resolved. Following an inductive approach, seven Lego virtual communities, classified following their governance and objectives, were analyzed. It is found different kinds of appear as complementary tools favor co-creation enhance members’ performance by constituting a system co-creation. Moreover, community features can help firms achieve better adjustment between strategies decision-making process relative use social networks.