I am. Therefore, I will? Predicting customers' willingness to co-create using five-factor theory

Purpose Customers' participation in co-creation is a prerequisite for co-creation success. To identify customer co-creators, research has shown a recent interest in the role of personality traits as predictors of customers' engagement in co-creation. However, the empirical results regarding the direction and significance of these relationships have been inconclusive. This study builds on the five-factor theory (FFT) of personality to enhance one's understanding of the nomological network that determines the relationship between personality traits and customers' willingness to co-create (WCC). Design/methodology/approach Based on a large-scale empirical study on technology-based services (TBSs) in healthcare ( n = 563), the authors empirically investigate the role of the five-factor model (FFM), innate innovativeness (INI) and enduring involvement (EI) in predicting customers' WCC using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings The authors’ empirical findings show that depending on the configurational setting of the personality traits tied to the FFM, INI and EI evolve as mediators in determining customers' WCC. Originality/value This study is the first to introduce the FFT of personality into co-creation research. The results of this paper shed light on the relationships between personality traits, characteristic adaptations and customers' WCC.