Trust antecedents, trust and online microsourcing adoption: An empirical study from the resource perspective

• Published in: Decision Support Systems Vol. 85; pp. 104 - 114
• Main Authors: Lu, Baozhou, Zhang, Tao, Wang, Liangyan, Keller, L. Robin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-05-2016; Elsevier Sequoia S.A
• Subjects: Clients; Communities; Construction; Contract staff; Institution-based trust; Marketplace attributes; Microsourcing; Online; Online information services; Online microsourcing marketplaces; Outsourcing; Resource theory; Studies; Tasks; Technology adoption; Trust; Trustworthiness; China; Microsourcing; Resource theory; Marketplace attributes; Institution-based trust; Online microsourcing marketplaces
• ISSN: 0167-9236; 1873-5797
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dss.2016.03.004

The online microsourcing marketplace is a new form of outsourcing that is organized over online platforms for the performance of relatively small service tasks. Microsourcing offers a more flexible way to hire contract workers or to outsource. Prior research indicates the importance of individual-level trust when choosing providers in online sourcing marketplaces. We argue that institution-based trust is also crucial for online microsourcing adoptions. Drawing on a trust framework adapted from prior literature, this paper uncovers the trust-building mechanisms in online microsourcing marketplaces, as well as the marketplace-related attributes for online microsourcing adoption. The proposed research model is tested with a data set collected from the clients of a typical marketplace in China — zhubajie.com. The findings suggest that perceptions of resource-based attributes of a marketplace, together with the perceived effectiveness of its intermediary role, can help to build trust towards the marketplace, enhancing trust towards the community of providers and driving the intent to adopt online microsourcing. Thus, this paper confirms the roles of online marketplaces as both the resource pool and the transaction intermediary from the perspective of clients. Finally, this paper not only indicates the relevance of resource theories in understanding this new trend in outsourcing, but also suggests the importance of trusted relational governance in governing online microsourcing transactions.
•Institution-based trust is crucial for online microsourcing adoptions.•Trust in the Marketplace enhances the intention to engage with the marketplace.•Identified four decisional attributes based upon resource theories•Uncovered the trust-building mechanisms in online microsourcing marketplaces•Examined a relatively new landscape of outsourcing — online microsourcing