User Participation In Self-Governance In Socio-Technical Communities

In a digital society, effective governance is needed to develop a sustainable socio-technical community where members’ interactions and communications are mediated by information technology (IT). Amongst various governance mechanisms, self-governance is favourable in socio-technical communities. Despite research efforts on the use of self-governance, little is known about the role of user involvement in an effective use of self-governance. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), a principle of good governance and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), this study develops an integrated framework which argues that users’ fundamental needs, good self-governance implementations and users’ attitudes towards using self-governance tools are related to user’s intention to participate in self-governance. The expected contributions of this study are three-fold. First, the findings should highlight the importance of user involvement in effective use of selfgovernance. The theoretical framework promotes an understanding of the influence of psychological, technological and social factors on users’ intention to participate in self-governance. Second, the research contributes to the body of knowledge on IT acceptance and use by extending TAM to include the role of users’ psychological needs and the social conditions in using IT tools. Third, the results can be used to develop design guidelines for effective self-governance implementations.