It’s Not Only about Writing Code: An Investigation of the Notion of Citizenship Behaviors in the Context of Free/Libre/Open Source Software Communities

Attracting a large number of new contributors has been seen as a way to ensure the survival, long-term success, and sustainability of Free/Libre/Open Source Software (FLOSS) communities. However, this appears to be a necessary, but not a sufficient condition, as the well-being of FLOSS communities also relies on members behaving as “good citizens,” to nurture and protect the community. This paper investigates the notion of FLOSS community citizenship behaviors in light of the organizational citizenship behaviors literature. Relying on 11 semi-structured interviews with FLOSS project leaders and community managers, the papers identifies key instances of citizenship behaviors along two dimensions: CCB-I (community citizenship behaviors oriented towards the benefits of other individuals), and CCB-P (community citizenship behaviors oriented towards the benefits of the project and its community).