Doctoral Thesis
Title
A Conceptual Model of a Stigmergic Information System Network for Social Sustainability: An Inductive Top-down Theorizing Approach
Keywords
information systems network, stigmergic model, social sustainability, systems thinking, system dynamics, social value, social impact, social synergy, sustainable business, distributed intelligence, software ecosystem, human computation, and self-organization
Short Description
There is a growing systemic interest in the social benefit and social harm of business activities. As reliance on technology increases, human and cyber interaction may, one day, work in concert for social sustainability. To that end, machines need to be instructed or programmed; however, assessments for social value are complex, costly and often customized to a specific audience. What is missing is a guide, a model that allows us, the stakeholders, to evaluate to what extent these technologies think and operate in line with our expectations and in terms of value and societal requirements. This thesis conceptualizes the patterns that bring together different sets of social value and social impact indicators for systemic alignment with social sustainability.
Audience
The audience for this research includes management practitioners, educational institutions, and leaders of change initiatives.
