%0 Journal Article %J Information & Management %D 2016 %T Roles and politeness behavior in community-based free/libre open source software development %A Kangning Wei %A Kevin Crowston %A Eseryel, U.Yeliz %A Robert Heckman %K Core–periphery structure %K open source software development %K Politeness behavior %X Community-based Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) development relies on contributions from both core and peripheral members. Prior research on core–periphery has focused on software coding-related behaviors. We study how core–periphery roles are related to social-relational behavior in terms of politeness behavior. Data from two FLOSS projects suggest that both core and peripheral members use more positive politeness strategies than negative strategies. Further, core and peripheral members use different strategies to protect positive face in positive politeness, which we term respect and intimacy, respectively. Our results contribute to FLOSS research and politeness theory. %B Information & Management %8 11/2016 %U https://crowston.syr.edu/sites/crowston.syr.edu/files/Group_maintenance%20paper%20to%20share.pdf %! Information & Management %R 10.1016/j.im.2016.11.006 %0 Journal Article %J Cognitive Systems Research %D 2015 %T Stigmergic coordination in FLOSS development teams: Integrating explicit and implicit mechanisms %A Bolici, Francesco %A Howison, James %A Kevin Crowston %K Coordination mechanisms %K distributed teams %K FLOSS teams %K Stigmergic coordination %X The vast majority of literature on coordination in team-based projects has drawn on a conceptual separation between explicit (e.g. plans, feedbacks) and implicit coordination mechanisms (e.g. mental maps, shared knowledge). This analytical distinction presents some limitations in explaining how coordination is reached in organizations characterized by distributed teams, scarce face to face meetings and fuzzy and changing lines of authority, as in free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development. Analyzing empirical illustrations from two FLOSS projects, we highlight the existence of a peculiar model, stigmergic coordination, which includes aspects of both implicit and explicit mechanisms. The work product itself (implicit) and the characteristics under which it is shared (explicit) play an under-appreciated role in helping software developers manage dependencies as they arise. We develop this argument beyond the existing literature by working with an existing coordination framework, considering the role that the codebase itself might play at each step. We also discuss the features and the practices to support stigmergic coordination in distributed teams, as well as recommendations for future research. “Not everything that implicitly exists needs to be rendered explicit” (Sloterdijk, 2009, p. 3). %B Cognitive Systems Research %8 12/2015 %U http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389041715000339 %! Cognitive Systems Research %R 10.1016/j.cogsys.2015.12.003 %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/COGSYS-RS-%28HHS%29-%282015%29-%283%29.pdf %0 Journal Article %J MIS Quarterly %D 2014 %T COLLABORATION THROUGH OPEN SUPERPOSITION: A THEORY OF THE OPEN SOURCE WAY. %A Howison, James %A Kevin Crowston %K COLLABORATION %K COMPUTER programmers %K COMPUTER programming %K COMPUTER software %K coordination %K FREEWARE (Computer software) %K INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems %K open source software %K research %K socio-technical system %X This paper develops and illustrates the theory of collaboration through open superposition: the process of depositing motivationally independent layers of work on top of each other over time. The theory is developed in a study of community-based free and open source software (FLOSS) development, through a research arc of discovery (participant observation), replication (two archival case studies), and theorization. The theory explains two key findings: (1) the overwhelming majority of work is accomplished with only a single programmer working on any one task, and (2) tasks that appear too large for any one individual are more likely to be deferred until they are easier rather than being undertaken through structured team work. Moreover, the theory explains how working through open superposition can lead to the discovery of a work breakdown that results in complex, functionally interdependent, work being accomplished without crippling search costs. We identify a set of socio-technical %B MIS Quarterly %V 38 %P 29 - A9 %0 Conference Paper %B 2010 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2010) %D 2010 %T Analyzing Leadership Dynamics in Distributed Group Communication %A Kevin Crowston %A Andrea Wiggins %A Howison, James %K core %K DYNAMICS %K email %K email archives %K fire %K flossmole %K gaim %K leadership %K mailing list %K project success %K social network analysis %K srda %X We apply social network analysis (SNA) to examine the dynamics of leadership in distributed groups, specifically Free/Libre Open Source Software development projects, and its relation to group performance. Based on prior work on leadership in distributed groups, we identify leaders with those who make the highest level of contribution to the group and assess the degree of leadership by measuring centralization of communications. We compare the dynamics of leadership in two FLOSS projects, one more and one less effective. We find that in both projects, centralization was higher in developer-oriented communications venues than in user-oriented venues, suggesting higher degrees of leadership in developer venues. However, we do not find a consistent relation between centralization and effectiveness. We suggest that SNA can instead be useful for identifying interesting periods in the history of the project, e.g., periods where the leadership of the project is in transition. %B 2010 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2010) %I IEEE %C Honolulu, Hawaii, USA %P 1 - 10 %@ 978-1-4244-5509-6 %R 10.1109/HICSS.2010.62 %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/07-06-02.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Database Management %D 2008 %T Bug Fixing Practices within Free/Libre Open Source Software Development Teams %A Kevin Crowston %A Barbara Scozzi %K activity %K bug tracker %K bug tracking system %K coordination %K downloads %K dynapi %K effectiveness %K FLOSS %K gaim %K kicq %K phpmyadmin %K project success %K size %K status %X Free/libre open source software (FLOSS, e.g., Linux or Apache) is primarily developed by distributed teams. Developers contribute from around the world and coordinate their activity almost exclusively by means of email and bulletin boards, yet some how profit from the advantages and evade the challenges of distributed software development. In this article we investigate the structure and the coordination practices adopted by development teams during the bug-fixing process, which is considered one of main areas of FLOSS project success. In particular, based on a codification of the messages recorded in the bug tracking system of four projects, we identify the accomplished tasks, the adopted coordination mechanisms, and the role undertaken by both the FLOSS development team and the FLOSS community. We conclude with suggestions for further research. %B Journal of Database Management %V 19 %P 1–30 %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/CrowstonScozziJDBM2008.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Information and Software Technology Journal %D 2007 %T Self-organization of teams for free/libre open source software development %A Kevin Crowston %A Li, Qing %A Kangning Wei %A Eseryel, U. Yeliz %A Howison, James %K case study %K compiere %K coordination %K DESIGN %K distributed teams %K egroupware %K email %K email archives %K forum %K free/libre open source software development %K gaim %K INTERNET %K mailing list %K metadata %K qualitative research methods %K self-organizing teams %K sourceforge %K SYSTEMS %K task assignment %K WORK %X This paper provides empirical evidence about how free/libre open source software development teams self-organize their work. Following a case study methodology, we examined developer interaction data from three active and successful FLOSS projects using qualitative research methods, specifically inductive content analysis, to identify the task-assignment mechanisms used by the participants. We found that "self-assignment" was the most common mechanism across three FLOSS projects. This mechanism is consistent with expectations for distributed and largely volunteer teams. We conclude by discussing whether these emergent practices can be usefully transferred to mainstream practice and indicating directions for future research. %B Information and Software Technology Journal %V 49 %G eng %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/task_assignment_final.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences-Volume 06 %D 2006 %T Core and periphery in Free/Libre and Open Source software team communications %A Kevin Crowston %A Kangning Wei %A Li, Qing %A Howison, James %K bug fixing %K contributions %K contributors %K core %K developers %K social network analysis %K sourceforge %K team %X The concept of the core group of developers is important and often discussed in empirical studies of FLOSS projects. This paper examines the question, "how does one empirically distinguish the core?" Being able to identify the core members of a FLOSS development project is important because many of the processes necessary for successful projects likely involve core members differently than peripheral members, so analyses that mix the two groups will likely yield invalid results. We compare 3 analysis approaches to identify the core: the named list of developers, a Bradford's law analysis that takes as the core the most frequent contributors and a social network analysis of the interaction pattern that identifies the core in a core-and-periphery structure. We apply these measures to the interactions around bug fixing for 116 SourceForge projects. The 3 techniques identify different individuals as core members; examination of which individuals are identified leads to suggestions for refining the measures. All 3 measures though suggest that the core of FLOSS projects is a small fraction of the total number of contributors. %B Proceedings of the 39th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences-Volume 06 %G eng %1 information systems %2 computational %0 Conference Paper %B OSS2006: Open Source Systems (IFIP 2.13) %D 2006 %T From Individual Contribution to Group Learning %A Hala Annabi %A Kevin Crowston %A Robert Heckman %K apache %K case study %X Open Source Software (OSS) groups experience many benefits and challenges with respect to the core group’s effectiveness. In order to capitalize on the benefits and minimize the challenges, OSS groups must learn not only on the individual level, but also on the group level. OSS groups learn by integrating individual contributions into the group’s product and processes. This paper reports on the characteristics of the learning process in OSS groups. The study utilized an embedded single case study design that observed and analyzed group learning processes in the Apache Web server OSS project. The study used learning opportunity episodes (LOE) as the embedded unit of analysis and developed and utilized three content analytic schemes to describe the characteristics of the learning process and the factors affecting this process. %B OSS2006: Open Source Systems (IFIP 2.13) %S IFIP International Federation for Information Processing %I Springer %P 77 - 90 %G eng %R http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/0-387-34226-5_8 %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/From%20Individual%20Contribution%20to%20Group%20Learning.pdf %0 Conference Paper %B OSS2006: Open Source Systems (IFIP 2.13) %D 2006 %T Social dynamics of free and open source team communications %A Howison, James %A Inoue, Keisuke %A Kevin Crowston %K bug fixing %K bug reports %K bug tracker %K bug tracking %K bugs %K communications %K Dynamic social networks %K FLOSS teams %K Human Factors %K social network analysis %K software development %K sourceforge %X This paper furthers inquiry into the social structure of free and open source software (FLOSS) teams by undertaking social network analysis across time. Contrary to expectations, we confirmed earlier findings of a wide distribution of centralizations even when examining the networks over time. The paper also provides empirical evidence that while change at the center of FLOSS projects is relatively uncommon, participation across the project communities is highly skewed, with many participants appearing for only one period. Surprisingly, large project teams are not more likely to undergo change at their centers. %B OSS2006: Open Source Systems (IFIP 2.13) %S IFIP International Federation for Information Processing %I Springer %V 203/2006 %P 319 - 330 %8 06/2006 %G eng %R http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/0-387-34226-5_32 %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/Social%20dynamics%20of%20free%20and%20open%20source%20team.pdf %0 Conference Proceedings %B International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2005) %D 2005 %T Coordination of Free/Libre Open Source Software development %A Kevin Crowston %A Kangning Wei %A Li, Qing %A Eseryel, U. Yeliz %A Howison, James %K case study %K compiere %K coordination %K egroupware %K email %K email archives %K FLOSS %K gaim %K mailing list %X The apparent success of free/libre open source software (FLOSS) development projects such as Linux, Apache, and many others has raised the question, what lessons from FLOSS development can be transferred to mainstream software development? In this paper, we use coordination theory to analyze coordination mechanisms in FLOSS development and compare our analysis with existing literature on coordination in proprietary software development. We examined developer interaction data from three active and successful FLOSS projects and used content analysis to identify the coordination mechanisms used by the participants. We found that there were similarities between the FLOSS groups and the reported practices of the proprietary project in the coordination mechanisms used to manage task-task dependencies. However, we found clear differences in the coordination mechanisms used to manage task-actor dependencies. While published descriptions of proprietary software development involved an elaborate system to locate the developer who owned the relevant piece of code, we found that “self-assignment” was the most common mechanism across three FLOSS projects. This coordination mechanism is consistent with expectations for distributed and largely volunteer teams. We conclude by discussing whether these emergent practices can be usefully transferred to mainstream practice and indicating directions for future research. %B International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2005) %C Las Vegas, NV, USA %G eng %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/CrowstonWeiLiEseryelHowison.pdf %0 Conference Paper %B 1st International Workshop on Computer Supported Activity Coordination, 6th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems %D 2004 %T Coordination practices for bug fixing within FLOSS development teams %A Kevin Crowston %A Barbara Scozzi %K activity %K bug fixing %K bug reports %K bug tracker %K coordination %K downloads %K dynapi %K FLOSS %K gaim %K kicq %K phpmyadmin %K status %X Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) is primarily developed by distributed teams. Developers contribute from around the world and coordinate their activity almost exclusively by means of email and bulletin boards. FLOSS development teams some how profit from the advantages and evade the challenges of distributed software development. Despite the relevance of the FLOSS both for research and practice, few studies have investigated the work practices adopted by these development teams. In this paper we investigate the structure and the coordination practices adopted by development teams during the bug-fixing process, which is considered one of main areas of FLOSS project success. In particular, based on a codification of the messages recorded in the bug tracking system of four projects, we identify the accomplished tasks, the adopted coordination mechanisms, and the role undertaken by both the FLOSS development team and the FLOSS community. We conclude with suggestions for further research. %B 1st International Workshop on Computer Supported Activity Coordination, 6th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems %C Porto, Portugal %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/CrowstonScozzi04coordination.pdf %0 Journal Article %J IEE Proceedings Software %D 2002 %T Open Source Software Projects as Virtual Organizations: Competency Rallying for Software Development %A Kevin Crowston %A Barbara Scozzi %K competencies %K competency rallying %K coordination %K project success %K sourceforge %K virtual organizations %X The contribution of this paper is the identification and testing of factors important for the success of Open Source Software (OSS) projects. We present an analysis of OSS communities as virtual organizations and apply Katzy and Crowston's (2000) competency rallying (CR) theory to the case of OSS development projects. CR theory suggests that project participants must develop necessary competencies, identify and understand market opportunities, marshal competencies to meet the opportunity and manage a short-term cooperative process. Using data collected from 7477 OSS projects hosted by the SourceForge system (http://sourceforge.net/), we formulate and test a set of specific hypotheses derived from CR theory. %B IEE Proceedings Software %V 149 %P 3–17 %G eng %> https://flosshub.org/sites/flosshub.org/files/crowston.pdf