Atypical shifts post-failure: influence of co-creation on attribution and future motivation to co-create

This study investigates how the effect of the failure of co-created products or services influences: (a) internal attribution (i.e. the self) and external attribution (i.e. the firm), (b) customers’ expectancies of success, and (c) customers’ future motivation to co-create and contribute to recovery from failure. We use attribution theory and the attribution–expectancy framework to explain the theoretical relationships we advance and test our hypotheses in two independent experiments that stimulate co-creation through role-play and vignettes. The results show that customer co-creation shifts the attribution for failure to the self, resulting in atypical shifts in expectancy (increasing customers’ expectancy of future success and motivation to continue co-creating in the future). Our results suggest that utilizing customers’ efforts and skills in the co-creation of products and services can help firms to manage failure effectively. The implications of our findings on co-creation research and product and service failures are discussed, specific applications within the digital context are considered, and suggestions are offered for future research