Using Digital Nudges to Enhance Collective Intelligence in Online Collaboration: Insights from Unexpected Outcomes

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SKU
48.1.14

Publication History

Received: March 6, 2020
Revised: February 15, 2021; January 4, 2022; September 16, 2022; April 5, 2023
Accepted: April 11, 2023
Published Online in Issue: March 1, 2024

https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2023/16752

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Abstract

The dramatic expansion of internet communication tools has led to the increased use of temporary online groups to solve problems, provide services, or produce new knowledge. However, many of these groups need help to collaborate effectively. The rapid development of new tools and collaboration forms requires ongoing experimentation to develop and test new ways to support this novel form of teamwork. Building on research demonstrating the use of nudges to shape behavior, we report the results of an experiment to nudge teamwork in 168 temporary online groups randomly assigned to one of four different nudge treatments. Each nudge was designed to spur one of three targeted collaborative processes (collaborator skill use, effective task strategy, and the level of collective effort) demonstrated to enhance collective intelligence in extant research. Our results support the basic notion that digitally nudging collaborative processes can improve collective intelligence. However, to our surprise, a couple of nudges had unintended negative effects and ultimately decreased collective intelligence. We discuss our results using structured speculation to systematically consider the conditions under which we would or would not expect the same patterns to materialize in order to clearly articulate directions for future research.

Additional Details
Author Pranav Gupta, Young Ji Kim, Ella Glikson, and Anita Williams Woolley
Year 2024
Volume 48
Issue 1
Keywords Digital nudges, collaborative processes, collective intelligence, team skill use, team task strategy, collective effort, nudge design, structured speculation
Page Numbers 393-408
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