Paper Type

Complete Research Paper

Description

Although control mechanisms have been widely studied in IS research within and between organizations, there is still a lack of research on control mechanisms applied in software-based platforms, on which the complex interactions between a platform owner and a myriad of third-party developers have to be coordinated. Drawing on IS control literature and self-determination theory, our study presents the findings of a laboratory experiment with 138 participants in which we examined how formal (i.e., output and process) and informal (i.e., self) control mechanisms affect third-party developers´ intentions to stick with a mobile app development platform. We demonstrate that self-control plays a significantly more important role than formal control modes in increasing platform stickiness. We also find that the relationship between control modes and platform stickiness is fully mediated by developers´ perceived autonomy. Taken together, our study highlights the theoretically important finding that self-determination and self-regulation among third-party developers are stronger driving forces for staying with a platform than typical hierarchical control mechanisms. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO? THE EFFECTS OF CONTROL MECHANISMS ON APP DEVELOPERS´ INTENTION TO STICK WITH A PLATFORM

Although control mechanisms have been widely studied in IS research within and between organizations, there is still a lack of research on control mechanisms applied in software-based platforms, on which the complex interactions between a platform owner and a myriad of third-party developers have to be coordinated. Drawing on IS control literature and self-determination theory, our study presents the findings of a laboratory experiment with 138 participants in which we examined how formal (i.e., output and process) and informal (i.e., self) control mechanisms affect third-party developers´ intentions to stick with a mobile app development platform. We demonstrate that self-control plays a significantly more important role than formal control modes in increasing platform stickiness. We also find that the relationship between control modes and platform stickiness is fully mediated by developers´ perceived autonomy. Taken together, our study highlights the theoretically important finding that self-determination and self-regulation among third-party developers are stronger driving forces for staying with a platform than typical hierarchical control mechanisms. Implications for research and practice are discussed.