This document discusses strategies for governments to leverage "networked individuals" through citizen sourcing and collaborative network organizations (CNOs). It outlines how the wisdom of crowds can outperform small groups by bringing diverse viewpoints and rapid information sharing. Case studies of distributed problem solving networks are presented. The document argues that well-managed networked individuals through CNOs can provide direct expertise to governments, if leaders focus on activities over tools, start small with scalable designs, and cultivate bottom-up collaboration. However, it also notes reasons why governments may be hesitant to utilize CNOs due to risks of losing control and commitment.

1. Capturing the Value of Networked Individuals:
Strategies for Citizen Sourcing
William Dutton
Oxford Internet Institute (OII)
University of Oxford
www.ox.ac.uk
Presentation to ‘NETworked Organizations’, organized by SINTEF, at
Kanonhallen, Oslo, Norway, 10 November 2010

2. The Wisdom of Crowds --
The many can outperform the few by:
• statistical averaging of individual judgements – the Jury Theorem
(Condorcet [1785]);
• bringing the attention of more people – ‘eyeballs’ – to the problem;
• aggregating information, intelligence, that is geographically distributed
• enhancing diversity: bringing together more heterogeneous viewpoints,
perspectives, and approaches;
• simultaneous review rather than sequential processing, enabling more
rapid diffusion of questions and answers;
• avoidance of small group processes, such as ‘groupthink’; and
• greater independence of, and less control by, established institutions.

3. • The Performance of Distributed Problem-Solving
Networks (DPSN), McKinsey Technology Initiative
(MTI) and the Oxford Internet Institute (2007-8)
http://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/project.cfm?id=45
• The Oxford e-Social Science Project (OeSS),
Economic and Social Research Council (2005-11)
• The Fifth Estate Project, supported by the Oxford
Internet Surveys (2003-2011), and June Klein,
Electronic Boardroom™
Research Projects

4. The Question
• Can organizations (governments) take advantage
of the potential for the Internet to support distributed
collaboration?
• What strategies might enable organizations
(governments) to exploit distributed problem-solving
networks?

5. Electronic Networks of Expertise
• The Emergency Management Information
Systems And Reference Index (EMISARI) 1971
• PCs and Groupware, Group Decision Support
• Citizen Consultation: QUBE Columbus, Ohio
1980s
• Santa Monica’s Public Electronic Network (PEN)
early-1990s

6. Case study
• News aggregators
• Sermo
• Seriosity
• Information markets
• Atlas
• ASOA
• Firefox development
• Simple Wikipedia
Source: OII
Case Studies of ‘Distributed Problem Solving Networks’
What is it about?
• Different paradigms to find, rate, and
prioritize news available online
• Physicians sharing medical information
• Use of multi-player game features to help
prioritize use of e-mail and attention foci
• Aggregating judgments to predict public
and private events
• Designing and building a high energy
physics (HEP) experiment
• Financing and creating an Open Content
Feature Film
• Making an Open Source web browser
“Mom-and-Dad” friendly
• Improve readability of Wikipedia

7. • Wisdom of Crowds?
• Reconfiguring Access: Networked Individuals v.
Networked Institutions
• Well Managed ‘Networked Individuals’
• Wisdom of Managing Networked Individuals: e.g.
managing access, modularization of tasks, …
• Distributed Problem-Solving Networks?
- Problem Holders and Problem Solvers?
- Solutions Looking for Problems
- Ecology of Actors and Motivations
• Collaborative Network Organizations (CNOs)
Collaborative Network Organizations

9. Understanding the Network Society
• Networked Institutions
• Networked Individuals

10.  Networked Institutions, such as in e-Health
 Networked Individuals:
 going to the Internet for health and medical
information
 networking physicians via Sermo
Networked Institutions v Networked
Individuals

11. Sermo

12. A Simple Typology of CNOs
Collaboration on documents, data, objects
1.0. Sharing: hypertextual
2.0. Contributing: hypertextual
+ user-generated
3.0. Co-creating: hypertextual
+ user-generated
+ cooperative work
• Atlas
• Bugzilla
• Innocentive
• Digg News
• Information Markets/
Prediction Markets
• Seriosity
• Sermo
• Firefox
• Simple Wikipedia
• Swarm of Angels

13. Management depends on Type of CNO
1.0 Sharing 2.0 Contributing 3.0 Collaborating
Architecture One to many Many to many Many to one
Openness
and Control
Open, Low
Control
Managing access Tiering,
management
control structures
IPR Information
shared
Platform Co-created
product
Performance Viewers Quantity of
Contributors
Engaging targeted
experts,
producers

14. • Wisdom of Crowds?
• Reconfiguring Access: Networked Individuals v.
Networked Institutions
• Well Managed ‘Networked Individuals’
• Wisdom of Managing Networked Individuals: e.g.
managing access, modularization of tasks, …
• Distributed Problem-Solving Networks?
- Problem Holders and Problem Solvers?
- Solutions Looking for Problems
- Ecology of Actors and Motivations
• Collaborative Network Organizations (CNOs)
Collaborative Network Organizations

15. Reasons Why CNOs Can Succeed:
1. Direct Communication with Diversity of
Expertise
2. Convening Power of Government
3. Synergy with Citizen Consultation
4. Building on Experience with Paid
Consultants
5. Speed and Urgency
6. Centrality of Documents to Policy and
Practice

16. Many Reasons to Avoid CNOs:
1. Risk Aversion
2. Concern over Levels of Participation
3. Quality: Focus on Evidence-based Policy
4. Gaming of Outcomes
5. Revealing Problems or Strategies
6. Loss of Control over Communication
7. Concern over Civility
8. Concern over Committing Politicians and Officials

17. Wider Conceptions of the Public:
• Public as Citizens: Voters
within a Constituency
supported by e-
consultation, Voting and
Polling, …
• Public as Advisors:
Experts Distributed
around the World

18. Citizens Opinion Experts Advice
Engaging
Networked
Individuals
Citizen
Consultation,
Polling,
ePetitions
Distributed
Intelligence
through
Collaborative
Network
Organizations
Individuals,
Interest Groups
and Lobbies
Meetings,
Hearings, Letters,
Petitions,
Elections
Paid Consultants,
Representatives
of Interest
Groups

20. Strategies for Government Champions:
1. Don’t reinvent the technology
2. Focus on activities v tools, e.g., Web 2.0
3. Start small, but with scalable design
4. Be flexible in where you go for expertise
5. No one solution to all problems
6. Cultivate bottom up development of projects
7. Get colleagues involved in distributed
collaboration
8. Capture, reward and publicize best practice

22. Capturing the Value of Networked Individuals:
Strategies for Citizen Sourcing
William Dutton
Oxford Internet Institute (OII)
University of Oxford
www.ox.ac.uk
Presentation to ‘NETworked Organizations’, organized by SINTEF, at
Kanonhallen, Oslo, Norway, 10 November 2010