Motivation: The missing driver for theorizing about resource integration

Abstract

Resource integration is vital to value co-creation. However, most research focuses on competencies as enablers of resource integration and the social aspects that guide them. Based on a literature review of resource integration and motivation theories, this article proposes including motivation as a driver of resource integration and integrating concepts from motivation theories into the resource integration process. This approach extends the understanding and conceptualization of actors’ resource integration processes, such that motivation determines the direction, intensity, and persistence of effort. When they engage in behavioral and cognitive activities, actors interact with resources, which informs the actors and influences their competences and motivation. Accordingly, motivation is central for a clear understanding of the psychological mechanisms of resource integration processes, as motivation expands the explanatory power of sociological factors by including intensity and persistence.