A topology of groups: What GitHub can tell us about online collaboration

Nikolas Zöller, Jonathan H. Morgan and Tobias Schröder

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2020, vol. 161, issue C

Abstract: In this work, we study the collaboration patterns of open source software projects on GitHub by analyzing the pull request submissions and acceptances of repositories. We develop a group typology based on the structural properties of the corresponding directed graphs, and analyze how the topology is connected to the repositorys collective identity, hierarchy, productivity, popularity, resilience and stability. These analyses indicate significant differences between group types and thereby provide valuable insights on how to effectively organize collaborative software development. Identifying the mechanisms that underlie self-organized collaboration on digital platforms is important not just to better understand open source software development but also all other decentralized and digital work environments, a setting widely regarded as a key feature of the future work place.

Keywords: GitHub; Collaboration; Social computing; Network analysis; Machine learning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:161:y:2020:i:c:s0040162520311173

DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120291

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