ABSTRACT
Stakeholder theory acknowledges the fact that any stakeholder can have multiple roles in the stakeholder network. So far, however, little has been done to examine the consequences of stakeholder blurriness. In this chapter, the case of consumer service marketplaces provides the contextual backdrop for discussing the potential tensions arising from this multiplicity in stakeholder roles and the related consequences. Based on the emerging literature on sharing economy and partial organizations, the chapter analyzes stakeholder tensions relating to five organizational characteristics (membership, rules, monitoring, sanctioning and hierarchy) and discuss balancing strategies for overcoming these opposite forces. This chapter contributes to the understanding of tensions in stakeholder relationships and approaches to cope with them in consumer service marketplaces.
