Engaging the crowd in decision-making of complex Societal Issues

In the complex milieu of today's society, a particular category of challenges, often termed "wicked issues," defies straightforward solutions and spans multiple dimensions, such as environmental sustainability, public health, and social justice. These issues are complex, resistant to singular solutions, and have broad societal implications. Traditional approaches to stakeholder engagement, frequently confined to the realms of industry experts and policymakers, fall short of addressing these multidimensional challenges. This dissertation introduces a novel framework, termed "strategic crowd engagement," that aims to integrate the "crowd"—or the citizenry—as a crucial stakeholder in problem-solving. The importance of this new approach emanates from two central ideas. The first is the idea of participatory dynamics, where traditional stakeholder engagement methods are expanded beyond mere consensus-building. Strategic crowd engagement aims to include a broader dialogue by incorporating perspectives from the crowd, thereby challenging the conventional wisdom that only "expert stakeholders" can provide meaningful input. The second is the notion of dynamic problem-solving. Unlike traditional top-down methods, which often neglect the multifaceted nature of modern challenges, strategic crowd engagement promotes a shift from 'solution creation' to 'collaborative problem-setting.' This research conceptualizes and enhances our understanding of crowd engagement within public administration and policy-making contexts through four interrelated studies, examining its motivational drivers, challenges, benefits, and technological considerations. - The first study offers a foundational bibliometric exploration into the concept of crowd engagement, highlighting its application in various decision-making realms such as public service design, urban planning, and crisis management. It lays the groundwork for understanding the participatory dynamics and motivations behind crowd engagement, especially in addressing wicked problems that traditional governance models struggle with. - Building on this, the second study delves into the practicality of crowd engagement, weighing its challenges and benefits. Utilizing case studies, this research identifies and systematically categorizes challenges such as incentive alignment and citizen aggregation and benefits like innovative solution generation and stakeholder relationship enhancement. This study extends the theoretical boundaries of crowd engagement by revealing its potential to democratize the innovation process in public administration. - The third study specifically focuses on understanding the intrinsic motivational drivers of citizen participants or 'solvers' in crowd engagement initiatives. It investigates how enjoyment and competence are pivotal in fostering engagement during the problem and solution-framing phases. Field studies reveal that intrinsic motivations, including enjoyment and task-related competence, positively influence solver engagement, even when the tasks are inherently complex and daunting. - Lastly, the fourth study intersects technology and crowd engagement by examining the role of privacy concerns in adopting digital platforms, taking the example of a COVID-19 tracing app in Italy. This study employs the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to understand the factors affecting citizens' willingness to engage via digital platforms. It highlights the critical role of trust, transparency, and communication in the adoption process. Collectively, these studies conceptualise crowd engagement and dissect its complexities, offering academic and practical insights. They underscore the need for a more dynamic, inclusive, and technologically supported approach to address societal challenges. This research contributes to the discourse on innovation and leadership by offering an in-depth understanding of crowd engagement as a multifaceted, transformative phenomenon for public decision-making. The dissertation's theoretical contributions are manifold. First and foremost, it advances a refined understanding of what constitutes crowd engagement. The bibliometric analysis in the first study clarifies the concept and pinpoints motivational assets and technology's role as pivotal elements in crowd engagement. This conceptual clarity is vital for consistent operationalization in future research. The second study goes beyond simple analyses and offers a nuanced framework that elaborates on the challenges and benefits of crowd engagement in the public sector. This framework, identifying challenges like technological limitations and privacy concerns, provides researchers with a detailed landscape for studying engagement in complex organizational settings. Furthermore, the third study brings a psychological dimension into the theoretical discourse by highlighting intrinsic motivational factors influencing crowd participation. By focusing on enjoyment as a significant determinant, the research enriches knowledge of human-centric factors in crowd engagement. Lastly, adopting the UTAUT model in the fourth study introduces a fresh perspective on technology adoption within the crowd engagement literature. By shedding light on performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and facilitating conditions as central influencers, the study adds depth to our theoretical understanding of how technology intersects with human behaviour in crowd engagement contexts. In terms of practical implications, this dissertation acts as a toolkit for practitioners, particularly those involved in designing and implementing crowd engagement initiatives. The first study serves as a foundational resource, offering decision-makers a clarified concept of crowd engagement that they can reliably implement in various settings. The findings from the second study provide actionable insights for public sector organizations by elaborating on the risks and rewards of crowd engagement. This information enables policymakers to weigh their options more carefully and make informed decisions, considering the benefits and the potential pitfalls. The third study offers valuable information for those creating or maintaining engagement platforms. By emphasizing the role of enjoyment and structural elements in boosting intrinsic motivation, the study offers a roadmap for designing systems that encourage sustained, meaningful engagement. The insights from the fourth study can guide practitioners in the technology domain. Understanding the key factors affecting the adoption of crowd engagement platforms, such as the Immuni Covid-19 tracing app, can help in the design phase, targeting specific features that enhance user adoption rates. The dissertation offers a balanced perspective, making it a cornerstone for theoretical and practical advancements in crowd engagement. It enhances academic discourse and serves as a comprehensive guide for practitioners in the field.

Nella società attuale, problemi complessi come sostenibilità ambientale e giustizia sociale, spesso sono ancora governati da sistemi di problem-solving lineari che non includono molteplici stakeholder. Questa tesi introduce il concetto di "coinvolgimento strategico della folla" (crowd engagement) come un nuovo framework che integra i cittadini come stakeholder chiave nella risoluzione dei problemi complessi, andando oltre i metodi tradizionali che coinvolgono solo esperti e politici. La ricerca si basa su quattro studi indipendenti ma correlati: Il primo studio esplora il concetto emergente di coinvolgimento della folla, gettando le basi per comprendere dinamiche e motivazioni. Il secondo studio analizza le sfide e i benefici pratici del coinvolgimento della folla, utilizzando casi studio per esaminare elementi come l'allineamento degli incentivi e la generazione di soluzioni innovative. Il terzo studio si concentra sui fattori motivazionali intrinseci che incoraggiano la partecipazione del pubblico a processi di risoluzione di problemi complessi. L'ultimo studio esamina le preoccupazioni sulla privacy nell'adozione di piattaforme digitali per il coinvolgimento della folla. In sintesi, la tesi non solo concettualizza il coinvolgimento della folla, ma fornisce anche approfondimenti sia teorici che pratici, contribuendo al discorso in ambito di innovazione e leadership. Agisce come una guida sia per gli accademici che per i professionisti nel campo, evidenziando la necessità di un approccio più dinamico, inclusivo e tecnologicamente supportato per affrontare le sfide sociali.