Virtual Interactivity Between Government and Citizens: The Chicago Police Department's Citizen ICAM Application Demonstration Case

This article considers the current efforts to describe the effect of Internet–based technology on interactivity between citizens and public organizations to be incomplete and poorly linked. Based on a multidisciplinary review of the literature, the authors develop a theoretical model of cyber–interactivity and propositions about how virtual communication between citizens and bureaucrats may effect change in organizations, communities, and the relationship between citizens and bureaucrats. Using McMillan's model of cyber–interactivity, they identify four constructscontent sophistication, feedback opportunity, dialogue complexity, and responsivenessthat are useful for comparing citizen–bureaucrat interactions in cyberspace over time and across organizations. The authors present a case analysis of the Chicago Police Department's (CPD) Citizen ICAM Web application that illustrates the interplay between technological and organizational change. They find that cyber–interactivity is a complex process that has recognizable effects on the structure and work processes of the organization, and potentially on the relationship between citizens and bureaucrats. They conclude by proposing further research on cyber–interactivity effects on public organizations, communities, and the relationship between citizens and bureaucrats.