Virtual communities form the principal environment favoring provider-client interaction. However, questions regarding the way to manage these communities so that they might generate value have yet to be resolved. Following an inductive approach, seven Lego virtual communities, classified following their governance form and objectives, were analyzed. It is found that different kinds of virtual communities appear as complementary tools to favor value co-creation and enhance members’ performance by constituting a system of value co-creation. Moreover, these community features can help firms achieve a better adjustment between their strategies and their decision-making process relative to the use of social networks.

虚拟社区形成了有利于提供者-客户互动的主要环境。然而，关于如何管理这些社区以使其产生价值的问题尚未解决。遵循归纳方法，分析了七个乐高虚拟社区，按照其治理形式和目标进行分类。研究发现，不同类型的虚拟社区通过构建价值共创系统，作为有利于价值共创和提高成员绩效的互补工具出现。此外，这些社区特征可以帮助公司在其战略和与社交网络使用相关的决策过程之间实现更好的调整。