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Exploring Collective Action Dynamics in Online Communities from a Critical Realist Perspective

In: Blurring the Boundaries Through Digital Innovation

Author

Listed:
  • Alessio Maria Braccini

    (Dipartimento di Economia e Impresa)

  • Tommaso Federici

    (Dipartimento di Economia e Impresa)

  • Øystein Sæbø

    (Department of Information Systems)

Abstract

Scholars have been increasingly studying Online Communities (OCs) for a variety of purposes, focusing on issues like individual motivation, knowledge sharing, and governance structure. Few studies focused on the entanglement among technology, people, and organizational structures that support working dynamics within OCs. This paper addresses this issue by exploring causal mechanisms sustaining the collective actions of OCs through a retroduction process. Based on the study of the OC of an Italian political movement, the Five Star Movement, the concept of affordance is involved to describe the generative mechanisms and new affordances are identified on collective action within OCs. Our work contributes to a deeper understanding of the OCs phenomenon, explaining how the different components (people, technology, and organization) interact within a specific mechanism to achieve a specific result.

Suggested Citation

  • Alessio Maria Braccini & Tommaso Federici & Øystein Sæbø, 2016. "Exploring Collective Action Dynamics in Online Communities from a Critical Realist Perspective," Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organization, in: Fabrizio D'Ascenzo & Massimo Magni & Alessandra Lazazzara & Stefano Za (ed.), Blurring the Boundaries Through Digital Innovation, pages 271-282, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:lnichp:978-3-319-38974-5_21
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-38974-5_21
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