A study of the governance of knowledge sharing in open-source communities

Chaonan Yi, Lei Ma, Zheng Liu, Junlin Zhu and Baoqing Zhu

European Journal of Innovation Management, 2025, vol. 28, issue 9, 4517-4538

Abstract: PurposeOpen-source communities are platforms that promote knowledge sharing. The mitigation of open-source risks is crucial to these communities. Therefore, this article explores the governance mechanisms of knowledge sharing in open-source communities.Design/methodology/approachTo answer the core research question – “What are the governance mechanisms of knowledge sharing in open-source communities?” – we conducted an in-depth case study analysis of two open-source communities based in China.FindingsTwo types of open-source communities were found: technology-driven communities and enterprise ecosystem-oriented communities. Hence, their governance mechanisms differed. For the former type, it was important to integrate social and commercial value to encourage knowledge exchange and enhance business scenarios through community-user experience. For the latter type, mutual collaboration and knowledge sharing could be fostered through differentiated layouts and the distributed collaboration of developers around data-driven innovation scenarios. This required the integration of individual and ecosystem value through value exchange.Originality/valueThis study advances our understanding of the coordinated development between founding firms and digital technology-based open-source communities. The findings offer important guidance to business practitioners seeking to manage knowledge-sharing activities during digital transformations.

Keywords: Knowledge sharing; Open source; Open-source community; Community governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:ejimpp:ejim-08-2024-0953

DOI: 10.1108/EJIM-08-2024-0953

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