ProSIS - pro social information systems - Vidgen March 2013

Hull University Business School


Connected Thinking!

Engaging with grand challenges: can pro-

societal information systems (ProSIS) help

change behaviours?

Richard Vidgen Professor of Systems Thinking

IADIS 13 March 2013


Acknowledgements

•  This work is being conducted with researchers from the Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales: – Patrick Finnegan – Lesley Land – Peter SlaCery


Grand challenges

•  Grand Challenges -‐ such as the eradicaGon of extreme poverty, combaGng diseases, ensuring sustainability, and reducing social conflict -‐ are problems that are: I.  difficult to solve, II.  demand significant improvements in research, III.  require great advances of knowledge, IV.  require collaboraGve efforts from many

disciplines and communiGes (Winter & Butler, 2011)


Grand challenges

With thanks to Andy Parkinson, Hull City Council


Poverty Carbon emissions


United Arab Emirates


Obesity causes society-‐wide cost burden

•  68 percent of adults in the USA are overweight or obese1 –  more than one-‐third (35.7%)

are obese –  half will be obese by 2030

•  In 2008 the medical costs associated with obesity in the USA were esGmated at $147 billion

•  By 2050, 60% of adult men, 50% of adult women and about 25% of all children under 16 in the UK could be obese2

1US Center for Disease Control and PrevenGon (hCp://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html) 2Foresight, Tackling ObesiGes: Future Choices, UK Government Office for Science (2007)


Exercise •  According to the Lancet

–  Only one in three ciGzens engage in the minimum recommended level of exercise per week in the UK (63.3% inacGve)

–  It is 4 in 5 in the Netherlands (18% inacGve)

•  Impact on society –  Health system –  ProducGvity

The Lancet, as reported in the Guardian 18th July 2012 hCp://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/18/uk-‐inacGve-‐populaGon-‐europe?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487


Has IS risen to the challenge?

•  Rather than look at large, significant, and complex societal problems, InformaGon Systems (IS) has been criGcized for seemingly preferring to look at small and familiar ones (Winter & Butler, 2011)

•  This may be due to a focus on organizaGonal concerns to the neglect of societal issues (Galliers, 2003, Hassan, 2006, Markus, 1999)


Time for IS to step up?

•  Orlikowski & Iacono (2001) argue for a wider view of ICT –  “our future is becoming increasingly dependent on a mulGplicity of pervasive and invasive technological arGfacts. As IS researchers we have the opportunity and responsibility to influence what future is enacted with those technological arGfacts” (p. 133).

•  Desouza et al. (2007) say “it is Gme for IS scholars to be fully involved in solving the criGcal problems of human civilizaGon” (p. 270).


Ten Billion

“We are in a desperate situa.on and I don't think people realise that. Many think we will find a clever solu.on some.me in the future, like building solar shields in space to keep our planet cool. I am going to tell the audience that these ideas are very suspect.

Steven EmmoC, Professor of ComputaGon at the University of Oxford and Head of Microsoq’s ComputaGon Science Laboratory in Cambridge, UK (2012)

(McKie, 2012, hCp://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/15/overpopulaGon-‐root-‐planet-‐problems-‐emmoC)


The need for behaviour change Radical behaviour change is what is really needed. Our problems are not just those concerned with carbon emissions. There are so many other things – overfishing, destroying habitats and eradica.ng species – that we need to change … … Science has spent far too long hiding behind caveats. We have to come off the shelf although I suspect it may be too late now. Indeed, the show will end with my admiIng to the audience that I think we are fucked.”

Steven EmmoC, Professor of ComputaGon at the University of Oxford and Head of Microsoq’s ComputaGon Science Laboratory in Cambridge, UK (2012)

(McKie, 2012, hCp://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jul/15/overpopulaGon-‐root-‐planet-‐problems-‐emmoC)


Campaigns •  "If we would exercise regularly, eat healthy, control our weight, sleep enough, manage stress, not smoke and use alcohol only moderately, – 90% of type II diabetes – 80% of heart disease – 70% of stroke could be prevented.”

Honka, Kaipainen, Hietala, and Saranummi (2011)

Public health promoGon campaigns won’t be effecGve in stopping this ‘tsunami’


Pro-‐societal behaviours

•  Pro-‐social (altruisGc) – e.g., charitable giving, philanthropy, volunteering, community engagement, acGvism

•  Pro-‐self behaviours (egoisGcal) – e.g., taking regular exercise, eaGng a healthy diet, drinking responsibly, managing stress


Behaviour change •  "The most elemental way to influence someone's behaviour is make rewards and punishments conGngent on the enactment of the behaviour" (Nowak et al., 2003, p.384)

•  In the UK there has been considerable debate about –  tackling obesity using the 'carrot' of financial payment for weight loss

–  using the 'sGck' of weight-‐related eligibility for operaGons such as hip replacement


hCp://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-‐news/dr-‐phillip-‐lee-‐conservaGve-‐mp-‐1458840


MoGvaGon

•  Intrinsic versus extrinsic moGvaGon •  Crowding-‐out of “intrinsic moGvaGon” by extrinsic incenGves has been observed in a broad variety of social interacGons –  paying blood donors could actually reduce supply –  volunteers may work less when paid –  imposing sGffer penalGes can undermine individuals’ “internal jusGficaGon” for obeying the law, e.g., late fees


InformaGon processing model of behaviour change

Awareness Avtude change

Behaviour change

Sustainable change

CommunicaGon Persuasion Habit Competency and autonomy

Social relatedness: social networks, and significant others

Drawing on: Deci & Ryan, 2002; McGuire 1972; Fogg (2003); Limayem et al., 2007; Cialdini, 2009)


The social context of behaviour change

•  Significant others are those that have influence on our behaviours –  e.g., parents, guardians, friends, peers, or people within our wider social network

•  We have free will, but behaviour takes place within, and has an impact on, social networks

Which person is best placed in the network to receive new informaGon quickly?


ICT and behaviour change

•  How might we use ICT to help – communicate the issues? – persuade of the need for behaviour change? – acquire competency? – maintain a sense of autonomy? – make the behaviours habitual? – draw on and build social relatedness?


MoGvaGonal technology design

ICT as social actor

Persuasion online

Ambient informaGon

Social media

Games and AI

Mo@va@onal technology principles

Technology applica@ons

ICT artefacts with moGvaGonal affordances

Ubiquitous devices

Context awareness

Physio-‐sensing

Enabling technologies

Technology acceptance

Neuro-‐sensing


Affordances

•  "technologies have material properGes, but those material properGes afford different possibiliGes for acGon based on the contexts in which they are used. Although the material properGes of a technology are common to each person who encounters them, the affordances of that arGfact are not" (Leonardi, 2011 p.153, from Gibson, 1977).


Affordances •  Affordances are the opportuniGes which an environment provides to an actor within it

Gibson (1977)



•  Well studied in informaGon systems –  IntenGon to use technology, conGnuance intenGon, IS saGsfacGon, Web quality, etc.

•  Perceived usefulness •  Perceived ease of use •  Support •  Trust •  Social influence

e.g., Davis, 1989; DeLone & McLean, 1992; BhaCacherjee, 2001; Venkatesh et al., 2003


ICT as social actor •  Users treat computers and media as if they were humans – the computer as social actor (CASA)

e.g., Nass et al., (1994); Nass et a;., (1995); Reeves & Nass (1996)


Persuasion online •  Cialdini’s (2005) principles of persuasion

– Scarcity – Reciprocity – Social proof – Liking – Authority – Commitment and consistency


Scarcity and social proof

scarcity Social proof


•  Someone who is liked by their target audience has a beCer chance of persuading them

Liking


•  Authority figures can oqen persuade people to do things they wouldn’t do otherwise

Authority


Ambient informaGon

•  Ambient informaGon – Non-‐invasive, passive persuasion, through creaGng awareness of informaGon which may enable avtude or behaviour change


Social media •  Social media

–  play a fundamental role as a medium for the spread of informaGon, ideas, and influence among the members of a social network


Games & “gamificaGon”

•  Games allow persuasive and moGvaGonal affordances, for example, compeGGon, entertainment and feedback

e.g., Huotari & Hamari (2012)


Games and ImaginaGve Play

•  ConstrucGng ‘possible worlds’ •  ‘Failing for free’


Enabling Technologies •  Ubiquitous technologies •  Context awareness •  Physio-‐sensing -‐ heart rate, pupil dilaGon, stress levels, body fat levels

•  Neuro-‐sensing – brain-‐computer interface



ICT as social actor

Persuasion online

Ambient informaGon

Social media

Games and AI

Mo@va@onal technology principles

Technology applica@ons

ICT artefacts with moGvaGonal affordances

Ubiquitous devices

Context awareness

Physio-‐sensing

Enabling technologies


Neuro-‐sensing


InformaGon processing model of behaviour change

Awareness Avtude change

Behaviour change

Sustainable change

CommunicaGon Persuasion Habit Competency and autonomy

Social relatedness: social networks, and significant others


Inter-‐connectedness

Pro-‐societal behaviour change is a complex issue

Ethical and legal implicaGons

Technologies

Unintended consequences

Stakeholders

Problems and “soluGons”

Socio-‐poliGcal-‐economic factors


Interconnectedness •  “Many climate change goals would also help prevent obesity,

such as measures to reduce traffic congesGon, increase cycling or design sustainable communiGes. Tackling them together would enhance the effecGveness of acGon. There are also synergies with other policy goals such as increasing social inclusion and narrowing health inequaliGes since obesity’s impact is greatest on the poorest.”

Foresight, Tackling ObesiGes: Future Choices, UK Government Office for Science (2007)


Interconnectedness •  “Many climate change goals would also help prevent obesity,

such as measures to reduce traffic congesGon, increase cycling or design sustainable communiGes. Tackling them together would enhance the effecGveness of acGon. There are also synergies with other policy goals such as increasing social inclusion and narrowing health inequaliGes since obesity’s impact is greatest on the poorest.”

Foresight, Tackling ObesiGes: Future Choices, UK Government Office for Science (2007)


A whole systems approach •  “This will require a broad set of integrated policies including both populaGon and targeted measures and must necessarily include acGon not only by government, both central and local, but also acGon by industry, communiGes, families and society as a whole” Foresight, Tackling ObesiGes: Future Choices, UK Government Office for Science (2007)


Pro-‐societal informaGon systems (ProSIS)

Complex context of change

Pro-‐societal behavior change


Outcomes – measureable changes in society

Outcom

es – measureable changes in

individual behaviors


How can we research grand challenges in IS?

Case studies

Theory building

EvaluaGon

IntervenGon(s) How do we know if a treatment works?

MulG-‐disciplinary teams, e.g., • Health • Computer Science • Social Policy • MarkeGng • InformaGon Systems


EvaluaGon -‐ RCTs

•  How do we know if a policy or intervenGon is working? – Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) – Used in medicine, development, social policy – Rapidly becoming the “gold standard” in evaluaGon

“No causaGon without manipulaGon”


RCTs

Haynes et al., 2012. “Test, Learn, Adapt: Developing Public Policy with RCTs”. UK Cabinet Office.




OpportuniGes for IS researchers •  RCTs are being used to improve business performance, oqen in an IS sevng: – Amazon and eBay test what works for driving purchases

– Wikipedia compared donaGon adverts with and without a picture of founder Jimmy Wales

– Neylix trialled a new service with four variants and four groups of 20,000 subscribers

– Delta airlines used RCTs to improve web site design in the flight booking process



Why ProSIS? An IS-‐centric shared frame of reference for tackling grand challenges



Connected Thinking!

Thank you

Questions?

Richard Vidgen Professor of Systems Thinking

IADIS 13 March 2013