Embedded lead userness and job satisfaction

Job stress may exert a dampening efiect on the effectiveness of embedded lead users. The literature flnds it to be associated with lower performance with respect the behaviors analyzed in this study [cf. for IWB [e.g. Coelho et aL 2011 Janssen 2001 Janssen et al. 2004], BSBs [e.g. Bettencourt and Brown 2003 Lysonski and Woodside 1989 Marrone et al. 2007], OCB [e.g. Eatough et al. 2011 Podsakoff et al. 1996 Podsakoff et al. 2000], COB [e.g. Dursun and Kilic 2011 Flaherty et al. 1999 Knight et al. 2007]]. 

With respect to organizational citizenship behavior and external representation behavior, role conflict and associated job stress may become more salient in embedded lead users. E.g. internal and external expectations may be conflicting in external representation behavior. Representing and praising the firm towards peer users, when embedded lead users know, that competitor product hold more use value, will lead to role conflict For these behaviors, growing lead userness may be associated with growing role conflict Thus, the effect of lead userness on these behaviors may be folly mediated and evened out by role conflict Further research is needed on these two countervailing forces and their impact on embedded lead user s behavior. 

External and internal activities of embedded lead users are likely to be mutually reinforcing, but may also be conflicting, e.g. in terms of individual motivations, knowledge bases, and goals. This has important implications for producer firms, some of which 1 will highlight in this section. 

Embedded lead users are passionate about the product domain, but not necessarily about the employing firm s products or the firm itself. They are highly motivated to engage in behaviors connected to users and products (potentially in rather specific niches] if and as they and their peers stand to benefit Their organizational commitment and loyalty may be less pronounced, depending on various factors. The data offers preliminary support of this being the case in my research context External representation and organizational citizenship behavior of the firm does not increase with embedded lead userness. 

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