Chou, Christine, Kuo‐Pin Yang, and James Jhan. "Empowerment strategies for ideation through online communities." Creativity and innovation management 24.1 (2015): 169-181.

This research explores how empowering customers through online communities, using democratic principles in open innovation, affects new product development. Through three experimental series, it examines the impact of community size and lead user status on the perceived impact of empowerment strategies. The study also delves into the positive and negative emotions generated by the outcomes of these strategies, revealing their double-edged effect on the strategy's effectiveness and sustainability. Findings indicate that empowerment strategies are more impactful in smaller communities and among users with higher lead user status. However, the outcomes can trigger both positive and negative emotions, leading to varied behaviors. The paper discusses both theoretical and practical implications, shedding light on how firms can effectively engage with online communities for product development.