The strategic value of IT-enabled self-organised collectives during crises

Abstract

There is a promising body of work pertaining to the strategic value of IT-enabled self-organised collectives in times of crisis. This area is of significant theoretical and practical importance. Yet, we still have little systematic knowledge about precisely how self-organised collectives contribute during crises and how the value of their contributions might be leveraged strategically. To address this, we develop a model to demonstrate four dimensions across which self-organised collectives create strategic value: (i) information sharing value; (ii) collective resource-mobilisation value; (iii) network value; and (iv) generative value. In doing so, we reveal more about the specific capabilities of self-organised collectives, and we use these insights to develop implications for theory. We conclude by outlining an agenda to encourage and accelerate future research on the role of IT-enabled self-organised collectives during crises.