Motivation, Governance, and the Viability of Hybrid Forms in Open Source Software Development

TitleMotivation, Governance, and the Viability of Hybrid Forms in Open Source Software Development
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2006
AuthorsShah, SK
Secondary TitleManagement Science
Volume52
Issue7
Pagination1000 - 1014
Date Published07/2006
ISSN Number1526-5501
Keywordsemail, email archives, governance, INNOVATION, interview, mailing list, MOTIVATION, open source software development, Volunteers
Abstract

Open source software projects rely on the voluntary efforts of thousands of software developers, yet we know little about why developers choose to participate in this collective development process. This paper inductively derives a framework for understanding participation from the perspective of the individual software developer based on data from two software communities with different governance structures.

In both communities, a need for software-related improvements drives initial participation. The majority of participants leave the community once their needs are met, however, a small subset remains involved. For this set of developers, motives evolve over time and participation becomes a hobby. These hobbyists are critical to the long-term viability of the software code: They take on tasks that might otherwise go undone and work to maintain the simplicity and modularity of the code. Governance structures affect this evolution of motives. Implications for firms interested in implementing hybrid strategies designed to combine the advantages of open source software development with proprietary ownership and control are discussed.

Notes

"Data from three primary sources informed this research (Table 1). All data were collected in 2001–2002."
Online project documentation: All publicly available project descriptions, charters, bylaws, meeting minutes, etc.
Mailing lists: Over 2,000 messages read over a three-month period prior to interviews
Interviews
"Ireadallpostingstoproject-specific and general mailing lists for both communities for a three-month period preceding the interviews. Over 2,000 messages were posted during this period. Read- ing these messages allowed me to gain familiarity with the technology..."

URLhttp://faculty.washington.edu/skshah/Shah%20-%20Motivation,%20Governance,%20Hybrid%20Forms.pdf
DOI10.1287/mnsc.1060.0553
Short TitleManagement Science
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