Abstract
Although IS literature is quite rich on analyzing control modes in inter-organizational relationships, there exists quite sparse empirical work on the effects of control modes on the relationship between a platform vendor and third-party developers in software-based platform ecosystems. Drawing on IS control literature and trust theory, we conducted an online survey with 125 game developers of the online gaming platform Steam, in which we examined the perception of clan and self-control mechanisms and how they influence developers' trust in the platform vendor and their intention to stick with the platform. We demonstrate that clan control positively impacts both trust and stickiness, while self-control only affects the latter. Further, our results show that developers' trust in the platform vendor serves as a mediator explaining the mechanisms of why clan control positively affects platform stickiness.
Recommended Citation
Goldbach, Tobias and Benlian, Alexander, "How Informal Control Modes affect Developers' Trust in a Platform Vendor and Platform Stickiness" (2015). Wirtschaftsinformatik Proceedings 2015. 89.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/wi2015/89