research-article

Volunteers' participation in open source software development: a study from the social-relational perspective

Authors:

Donald R. JonesAuthors Info & Claims

ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, Volume 41, Issue 3

Pages 69 - 84

https://doi.org/10.1145/1851175.1851180

Published: 23 August 2010 Publication History

Abstract

Open source software comprises a revolutionary new model of software development and distribution. Widespread Internet access in the early 1990s led to a dramatic acceleration of open source activity; but the success of a community open source project depends on the developers' voluntary participation. This paper investigates the social-relational factors, including developers' identification and obligation, shared goals, cognitive and affective trust, and their effects on open source software developer's participation. Data were collected from voluntary developers in open source projects. The research findings show that the social-relational factors are very important to promote developer's participation in an open source project. This research contributes empirically to the body of open source software research, and has practical implications for open source software development.

References

[1]

Agerfalk, P. J. and Fitzgerald, B. "Outsourcing to an unknown workforce: Exploring opensourcing as a global sourcing strategy", MIS Quarterly, 32(2), 2008, pp.385--409.

Digital Library

[2]

Allen, N. J. and Meyer, J. P. "The measurement and antecedents of affective, continuance and normative commitment to the organization", Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63(1), March 1990, pp.1--18.

[3]

Arakji, R. Y. and Lang, K. R. "The virtual cathedral and the virtual bazaar", Database for Advances in Information Systems, 38(4), 2007, pp.33--39.

Digital Library

[4]

Armstrong, J. S. and Overton, T. S. "Estimating nonresponse bias in mail surveys", Journal of Marketing Research, 14, August 1977, pp.396--402.

[5]

Ashforth, B. E. and Mael, F. A. "Social identity and the organization", Academy of Management Review, 14, 1989, pp. 20--39.

[6]

Bagozzi, R. P. and Dholakia, U. M. "Open source software user communities: a study of participation in Linux user groups", Management Science, 52(7), 2006, pp.1099--1115.

Digital Library

[7]

Balasubramanian, S., Konana, P. and Menon, N. M. "Customer satisfaction in virtual environments: A study of online investing", Management Science, 49(7), July 2003, pp.871--889.

Digital Library

[8]

Barbagallo, D., Francalenei, C. and Merlo, F. "The impact of social networking on software design quality and development effort in open source projects", Proceedings of International Conference on Information Systems, December 2008, Paris, France.

[9]

Barki, H. and Hartwick, J. "Interpersonal conflict and its management in information system development", MIS Quarterly, 25(2), June 2001, pp.195--228.

Digital Library

[10]

Bearden, W. O., Netemeyer, R. G. and Mobley, M. F. Handbook of Marketing Scales: Multi-item Measures for Marketing and Consumer Behavior Research, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA. 1993.

[11]

Blanchard, A. and Markus, M. "The experienced 'sense' of a virtual community: characteristics and processes", Database for Advances in Information Systems, 35(1), Winter 2004, pp.6--36.

Digital Library

[12]

Bourdieu, P. Outline of a Theory of Practice, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1977.

[13]

Bretthauer, D. "Open source software: A history", Information Technology and Libraries, 21(1), March 2002, pp.3--10.

[14]

Capra, E., Francalanci, and Merlo, F. "An empirical study on the relationship among software design quality, development effort, and governance in open source projects", IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, 34(6), November/December 2008, pp.765--782.

Digital Library

[15]

Chin, W. W. "Issues and options on structural equation modeling", MIS Quarterly, March 1998.

Digital Library

[16]

Constant, D., Kiesler, S. and Sproull, L. "What's mine is ours or is it? A study of attitudes about information sharing", Information Systems Research, 5(4), 1994, pp.400--421.

Digital Library

[17]

Coyle--Shapiro, J. "A psychological contract perspective on organziational cictizenship", Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(8), December 2002, pp.927--946.

[18]

Crowston, K. and Howison, J. "The social structure of free and open source software development", First Monday, 10(2), 2005.

[19]

Dutton, J. E., Dukerich, J. M. and Harquail, C. V. "Organizational images and member identification", Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 1994, pp.239--263.

[20]

Fairtlough, G. Creative Compartment: A Design for Future Organization, London: Adamantine Press. 1994.

[21]

Farmer, S. M. and Fedor, D. B. "Volunteer participation and withdrawal: A psychological contract perspective on the role of expectations and organizational support", Nonprofit Management & Leadership, 9(4), Summer 1999, pp.349--367.

[22]

Fitzgerald, B. "The transformation of open source software", MIS Quarterly, 30(3), September 2006, pp.587--598.

Digital Library

[23]

Grewal, R., Lilien, G. L. and Mallapragada, G. "Location, location, location: How network embeddedness affects project success in open source systems", Management Science, 52(7), July 2006, pp.1043--1056.

Digital Library

[24]

Gefen, D. and Ridings, C. M. "If you spoke as she does, sir, instead of the way you do: A sociolinguistics perspective of gender differences in virtual communities", Database for Advances in Information Systems, 36(2), Spring 2005, pp.78--92.

Digital Library

[25]

Gouldner, A. W. "The norm of reciprocity: A preliminary statement", American Sociological Review, 25, 1960, pp.161--178.

[26]

Hahn, J., Moon, J. Y. & Zhang, C. "Emergence of new product teams from open source software developer networks: Impact of prior collaboration ties", Information Systems Research, 19(3), September 2008, pp.369--394.

[27]

Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L. and Black, W. C. Multivariate Data Analysis (5th ed.), Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1998.

[28]

Hars, A. and Ou, S. "Working for free? Motivations for participation in open source projects", International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 6(3), Spring 2002, pp.25--39.

Digital Library

[29]

Hertel, G., Niednerand, S. and Herrmann, S. "Motivations of software developers in open source projects: An Internet-based survey of contributors to the Linux kernel", Research Policy, 32(7), 2003, pp.1159--1177.

[30]

Hu, L. and Bentler, P. M. "Cutoff criteria for fit indexes in covariance structure analysis: Conventional criteria versus new alternatives", Structural Equation Model, 6(1), 1999, pp.1--55.

[31]

Jap, S. D. and Anderson, E. "Safeguarding interorganizational performance and continuity under ex post opportunism", Management Science, 49(12), December 2003, pp.1684--1701.

Digital Library

[32]

Jarvenpaa, J. S. and Leidner, D. "Communication and trust in global virtual teams", Organization Science, 10(6), November/December 1999, pp.791--815.

Digital Library

[33]

Joode, R. "Managing conflicts in open source communities", Electronic Markets, 14(2), 2004.

[34]

Kramer, R. M. "Trust and distrust in organizations: Emerging perspectives, enduring questions", Annual Review of Psychology 50(1), 1999, pp.569--596.

[35]

Lee, G.K. and Cole R.E. "From a firm-based to a community-based model of knowledge creation: the case of the Linux kernel development", Organization Science, 14(6), Nov/Dec 2003, pp.633--649.

Digital Library

[36]

Lee, S. M. "An empirical analysis of organizational identification", Academy of Management Journal, 14(2), June 1971, pp.213--226.

[37]

Li, D., Chau, P. Y. K. and Lou, H. "Understanding individual adoption of instant messaging: An empirical investigation", Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 6(4), April 2005, pp.102--129.

[38]

Ljungberg, J. "Open source movements as a model for organizing", European Journal of Information Systems, 9(4), 2000, pp.208--216.

Digital Library

[39]

Long, Y. and Siau, K. "Social network dynamics for open source software projects", Proceedings of Americas Conference on Information Systems, August 2006, Acapulco, Mexico.

[40]

Lou, H. and Luo, W. "Perceived critical mass effect on groupware acceptance", European Journal of Information Systems, 9(2), June 2000, pp.91--103.

Digital Library

[41]

Mael, F. and Ashforth, B. E. "Alumni their alma mater: A partial test of the reformulated model of organizational identification", Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13(2), March 1992, pp.103--123.

[42]

Markus, M. L., Manville, B. and Agres, C. E. "What makes a virtual organization work?", Sloan Management Review, 42(1), Fall 2000, pp.13--26.

[43]

McAllister, D. J. "Affect- and cognition-based trust as foundations for interpersonal cooperation in organizations", Academy of Management Journal, 38(1), 1995, pp.24--59.

[44]

Meyer, J. P. and Allen, N. J. "A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment", Human Resource Management Review, 1, 1991, pp.61--89.

[45]

Meyers, M. K., Riccucci, N. M. and Lurie, I. "Achieving goal congruence in complex environments: The case of welfare reform", Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 11(2), April 2001, pp.165--201.

[46]

Nahapiet, J. and Ghoshal, S. "Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organizational advantage", Academy of Management Review, 23(2), 1998. pp.242--266.

[47]

Oh, W. and Jeon, S. "Membership herding and network stability in the open source community: The ising perspective", Management Science, 53(7), July 2007, pp.1086--1101.

Digital Library

[48]

O'Mahony, S. and Ferraro, F. "The emergence of governance in an open source community", Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), October 2007, pp.1079.

[49]

Paul, D. and McDaniel, R. "A field study of the effect of interpersonal trust on virtual collaborative relationship performance", MIS Quarterly, 28(2), June 2004, pp.183--227.

Digital Library

[50]

Piccoli, G. and Ives, B. "Trust and the unintended effects of behavior control in virtual teams", MIS Quarterly, 27(3), September 2003, pp.365--395.

Digital Library

[51]

Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Paine, J. B. and Bachrach, D. G. "Organizational citizenship behaviors: A critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature and suggestions for future research", Journal of Management, 26(3), 2000, pp.513--563.

[52]

Raymond, E. S. The Cathedral and the Bazaar Musings on Linux and Open Source by an Accidental Revolutionary, 1st ed. Cambridge, MA: O'Reilly. 1999.

Digital Library

[53]

Reade, C. "Antecedents of organizational identification in multinational corporations: fostering psychological attachment to the local subsidiary and the global organization", International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12(8), December 2001, pp.1269--1291.

[54]

Rigdon, E. E. Structural equation modeling, In Modern Methods for Business Research, G. A. Marcoulides (editor). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers, 1998, pp.251--294.

[55]

Roberts, J., Hann, I. and Slaughter, S. "Understanding the motivations, participation, and performance of open source software developers: A longitudinal study of the Apache Projects", Management Science, 52(7), July 2006, pp. 984--999.

Digital Library

[56]

Robinson, S. L. and Morrison, E. W. "Psychological contracts and OCB: The effects of unfulfilled obligations on civic virtue behavior", Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16, 1995, pp.289--298.

[57]

Rousseau, D. M., Sitkin, S. B., Burt, R. S. and Camerer, C. "Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust", Academy of Management Review, 23 (3), 1998, pp.393--404.

[58]

Rusbult, C. E., Martz, J. M. and Agnew, C. R. "The investment model scale: measuring commitment level, satisfaction level, quality of alternatives, and investment size", Personal Relationships, 5(4), December 1998, pp.357--391.

[59]

Singh, P. "Open source software development and the small world phenomenon: An empirical investigations of macro level collaboration network properties on project success", Proceedings of International Conference on Information Systems, December 2007, Montreal, Canada.

[60]

Stewart, K. J. and Gosain, S. "The impact of ideology on effectiveness in open source software development teams", MIS Quarterly, 30(2), June 2006, pp.291--314.

Digital Library

[61]

Stewart, K. J., Ammeter, A. P. and Maruping, L. M. "Impacts of license choice and organizational sponsorship on user interest and development activity in open source software projects", Information Systems Research, 17(2), June 2006, pp.126--144.

Digital Library

[62]

Subramaniam, C., Sen, R. and Nelson, M. "Determinants of open source software project success: A longitudinal study", Decision Support Systems, 46(2), January 2009, pp.576.

Digital Library

[63]

Tan, Y., Mookerjee, V. and Singh, P. "Social capital, structural holes and team composition: Collaborative networks of the open source software community", Proceedings of International Conference on Information Systems, December 2007, Montreal, Canada.

[64]

Turnley, W. H., Bolino, M. C., Lester, S. W. and Bloodgood, J. M. "The impact of psychological contract fulfillment on the performance of in-role and organizational citizenship behaviors", Journal of Management, 29(2), 2003, pp.187--206.

[65]

UCLA: Academic Technology Services, Statistical Consulting Group. Introduction to SAS, From http://www.ats.ucla.edu/stat/sas/library/proc_calis.htm (accessed February 4, 2009).

[66]

Van der Vegt, G. S. "Effects of attitude dissimilarity and time on social integration: A longitudinal panel study", Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 75, December 2002, pp.439--452.

[67]

Van Dyne, L., Graham, J. W. and Dienesch, R. M. "Organizational citizenship behavior: Construct redefinition, measurement, and validation", Academy of Management Journal, 37(4), August 1994, pp.765--802.

[68]

Von Hippel, E. and von Krogh, G. "Open source software and the "private-collective" innovation model: issues for organization science", Organization Science, 14(2), Mar/Apr 2003, pp.209--223.

Digital Library

[69]

Wang, J. "The role of social capital in open source software communities", Proceedings of Americas Conference on Information Systems, August 2005, Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

[70]

Wasko, M. M., Faraj, S. and Teigland, R. "Collective action and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice", Journal of Association for Information Systems, 5(11-12), December 2004, pp.493--513.

[71]

Wasko, M. M. and Faraj, S. "Why should I share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice", MIS Quarterly, 29(1), March 2005, pp.35--57.

[72]

Wieselquist, J., Rusbult, C. E., Foster, C. A. "Commitment, pro-relationship behavior, and trust in close relationships", Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 77(5), November 1999, pp.942--966.

[73]

Wiesenfeld, B. M., Raghuram, S. and Garud, R. "Organizational identification among virtual workers: the role of need for affiliation and perceived work-based social support", Journal of Management, 27, 2001, pp.213--229.

[74]

Wu, C. G., Gerlach, J. H. and Young, C. E. "An empirical analysis of open source software developers' motivations and continuance intentions", Information & Management, 44(3), April 2007, pp.231--352.

Digital Library

[75]

Xu, B., Jones, D. R. and Shao, B. "Volunteers' involvement in online community based software development", Information & Management, 46(3), 2009, pp.151--158.

Digital Library

[76]

Ybarra, C. Y. and Wiersema, M. "Strategic flexibility in information technology alliances: The influence of transaction cost economics and social exchange theory", Organization Science, 10(4), July-August 1999, pp.439--459.

Digital Library

Cited By

Zhou HYang M(2023)Towards Evaluating the Robustness of the Open-Source Product Community under Multiple Attack StrategiesSustainability10.3390/su15171303515:17(13035)Online publication date: 29-Aug-2023
https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713035
Louw C(2023)Digital Public Health Solutions in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparative Analysis of Contact Tracing Solutions Deployed in Japan and GermanyJournal of Medical Internet Research10.2196/4496625(e44966)Online publication date: 14-Jun-2023
https://doi.org/10.2196/44966
Feng ZChandra SBlincoe KTonella P(2023)The State of Survival in OSS: The Impact of DiversityProceedings of the 31st ACM Joint European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering10.1145/3611643.3617848(2213-2215)Online publication date: 30-Nov-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3611643.3617848
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Volunteers' participation in open source software development: a study from the social-relational perspective
1. Social and professional topics
  1. Professional topics
    1. Management of computing and information systems
      1. Project and people management
      2. Software management

Recommendations

Free/open source software development
ESEC-FSE '07: Proceedings of the the 6th joint meeting of the European software engineering conference and the ACM SIGSOFT symposium on The foundations of software engineering

The focus of this paper is to review what is known about free and open source software development (FOSSD) work practices, development processes, project and community dynamics, and other socio-technical relationships. It focuses on exploring how FOSS ...
Peripheral Developer Participation in Open Source Projects: An Empirical Analysis

The success of the Open Source model of software development depends on the voluntary participation of external developers (the peripheral developers), a group that can have distinct motivations from that of project founders (the core developers). In ...
Open source software development: expectations and experience from a small development project
ACMSE '08: Proceedings of the 46th annual ACM Southeast Conference

Open Source Software (OSS) is software that provides access to its source code in order to allow users to improve and redistribute the software. The emergence of OSS has introduced new ways to develop, test, and maintain software. While several success ...

Comments

Information & Contributors

Information

Published In

cover image ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems

ACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems Volume 41, Issue 3

August 2010

76 pages

ISSN:0095-0033

EISSN:1532-0936

DOI:10.1145/1851175

Issue’s Table of Contents

Copyright © 2010 Authors.

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 23 August 2010

Published in SIGMIS Volume 41, Issue 3

Check for updates

Author Tags

Qualifiers

Research-article

Contributors

Other Metrics

View Article Metrics

Bibliometrics & Citations

Bibliometrics

Article Metrics

24
Total Citations
View Citations
817
Total Downloads

Downloads (Last 12 months)24
Downloads (Last 6 weeks)3

Reflects downloads up to 02 Sep 2024

Other Metrics

View Author Metrics

Citations

Cited By

Zhou HYang M(2023)Towards Evaluating the Robustness of the Open-Source Product Community under Multiple Attack StrategiesSustainability10.3390/su15171303515:17(13035)Online publication date: 29-Aug-2023
https://doi.org/10.3390/su151713035
Louw C(2023)Digital Public Health Solutions in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Comparative Analysis of Contact Tracing Solutions Deployed in Japan and GermanyJournal of Medical Internet Research10.2196/4496625(e44966)Online publication date: 14-Jun-2023
https://doi.org/10.2196/44966
Feng ZChandra SBlincoe KTonella P(2023)The State of Survival in OSS: The Impact of DiversityProceedings of the 31st ACM Joint European Software Engineering Conference and Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering10.1145/3611643.3617848(2213-2215)Online publication date: 30-Nov-2023
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3611643.3617848
Haider SKhalil WAl-Shamayleh AAkhunzada AGani A(2023)Risk Factors and Practices for the Development of Open Source Software From Developers’ PerspectiveIEEE Access10.1109/ACCESS.2023.326704811(63333-63350)Online publication date: 2023
https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3267048
Frluckaj HDabbish LWidder DQiu HHerbsleb J(2022)Gender and Participation in Open Source Software DevelopmentProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/35551906:CSCW2(1-31)Online publication date: 11-Nov-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3555190
Wei KCrowston KEseryel U(2021)Participation in community-based free/libre open source software development tasks: the impact of task characteristicsInternet Research10.1108/INTR-03-2020-0112ahead-of-print:ahead-of-printOnline publication date: 18-Feb-2021
https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-03-2020-0112
Daniel SJanansefat SDiamant ERen Y(2020)Single- and Double-Loop LearningACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems10.1145/3433148.343315351:4(68-92)Online publication date: 2-Nov-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3433148.3433153
Gallivan M(2019)Author Highlights for the Past 35 YearsACM SIGMIS Database: the DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems10.1145/3312576.331258650:1(54-76)Online publication date: 12-Feb-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3312576.3312586
Qiu HNolte ABrown ASerebrenik AVasilescu BAtlee JBultan TWhittle J(2019)Going farther togetherProceedings of the 41st International Conference on Software Engineering10.1109/ICSE.2019.00078(688-699)Online publication date: 25-May-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1109/ICSE.2019.00078
Daniel SMidha VBhattacherhjee ASingh S(2018)Sourcing knowledge in open source software projects: The impacts of internal and external social capital on project successThe Journal of Strategic Information Systems10.1016/j.jsis.2018.04.00227:3(237-256)Online publication date: Sep-2018
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2018.04.002
Show More Cited By

View Options

Get Access

Login options

Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

Full Access

Get this Publication

View options

PDF

View or Download as a PDF file.

eReader

View online with eReader.

Media

Figures

Other

Tables

View Issue’s Table of Contents