TY - JOUR
T1 - “I Am Your Partner, Am I Not?” An inquiry into stakeholder inclusion in platform organizations in times of crisis
AU - Siebold, Nicole
AU - Oelrich, Sebastian
AU - Roche, Olivier
PY - 2023/5
Y1 - 2023/5
N2 - In this paper we contribute to the understanding of how failed stakeholder inclusion in times of crisis can lead to distrust of platform organizations. Drawing on the revelatory case of Airbnb, we explore how stakeholder inclusion was practiced when the platform was confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, a severe context in which its business practices were disrupted and social interactions uprooted. Our qualitative analysis suggests that platform leaders failed to notice a dissonance between articulated stakeholder meaning and understanding (i.e., what they said) and the crisis response practices implemented (i.e., what they did and did not do). This ultimately fostered distrust and selective disengagement as stakeholders re-interpreted Airbnb’s claims about their role and how stakeholders were given voice in times of crisis. Drawing on research in psychology, we utilize the concept of inattentional blindness as a novel metaphorical explanation for failed stakeholder inclusion in platform organizations in times of crisis.
AB - In this paper we contribute to the understanding of how failed stakeholder inclusion in times of crisis can lead to distrust of platform organizations. Drawing on the revelatory case of Airbnb, we explore how stakeholder inclusion was practiced when the platform was confronted with the COVID-19 pandemic, a severe context in which its business practices were disrupted and social interactions uprooted. Our qualitative analysis suggests that platform leaders failed to notice a dissonance between articulated stakeholder meaning and understanding (i.e., what they said) and the crisis response practices implemented (i.e., what they did and did not do). This ultimately fostered distrust and selective disengagement as stakeholders re-interpreted Airbnb’s claims about their role and how stakeholders were given voice in times of crisis. Drawing on research in psychology, we utilize the concept of inattentional blindness as a novel metaphorical explanation for failed stakeholder inclusion in platform organizations in times of crisis.
KW - Inattentional blindness
KW - Platform economy
KW - Platform organizations
KW - Stakeholder inclusion
KW - Trust
UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296323001340
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113776
DO - 10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113776
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85149755708
SN - 0148-2963
VL - 160
JO - Journal of Business Research
JF - Journal of Business Research
M1 - 113776
ER -