Knowledge Creation in Open Source Software Development

Stefan Haefliger and Georg Krogh

Chapter 5 in Organizations as Knowledge Systems, 2004, pp 109-129 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract Open Source development projects are internet-based communities of computer programmers (von Hippel and von Krogh, 2003). Internet technology not only enables worldwide and almost cost-free distribution of software, but also enables a distributed production of software by users (von Hippel, 2001). The physical distance between the community members (programmers) prevents most face-to-face contact. This condition, together with the internet-based communication that is limited to written conversation and software code, provide the basis for our investigation. Using knowledge creation theory we discuss and analyse the Open Source software development process. How is new knowledge generated in Open Source projects? Who constitutes Open Source communities and how do people interact? Based on findings that indicate a direct sharing of tacit knowledge in Open Source communities (von Krogh, Spaeth and Lakhani, 2003), we propose how this may occur without co-location of the sharing parties. The knowledge creation process can be enabled by activities that take into account the emergent nature of Open Source projects. We address the question of what the role of a knowledge activist can be in Open Source and draw theoretical and practical implications.

Keywords: Open Source; Tacit Knowledge; Open Source Software; Knowledge Creation; Mailing List (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2004
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-0-230-52454-5_6

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DOI: 10.1057/9780230524545_6

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