Our societies, institutions and social fabric are currently in the early stages of the third revolution of humanity, the Digital Civil Revolution. Disruption is not restricted to markets. The same technologies that cause and fuel it are giving citizens more knowledge and information, more public and political influence, and tools to organize themselves and so to disrupt politics, democracy and public services. This totally transforms the media landscape, public opinion, political debate, and the roles of industry and the state toward citizens.

Using multiple examples from across the globe, this book explores, analyzes and defines this revolution, its impact, the underlying technology and trends, as well as the special kind of civil leadership needed to harness this new citizen power that is disrupting the public domain.

Steven P.M. de Waal, PhD, is a strategic consultant, entrepreneur and chairman of multiple non-executive boards. He combines his extensive experience in the boardroom with research and academic reflection. Dr. De Waal’s writing focuses on strategic thinking, practical wisdom for executives and social entrepreneurship. He has published several books and many articles, and he has given numerous interviews and lectures for an executive audience. His dissertation (2014) conceptualized civil leadership and researched civil leaders’ values patterns in the different private-sector contexts. He launched one of the first think tanks in the Netherlands, Public SPACE (www.publicspace.eu), which aims to develop strategies for the common good.