Applying the Open Source Development Model to Knowledge Work

Juan Mateos Garcia () and W Steinmueller ()
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Juan Mateos Garcia: SPRU, University of Sussex, http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/

No 94, SPRU Working Paper Series from SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School

Abstract: This paper introduces a distinction between two different types of information goods in order to analyse the processes governing the review and integration of multi-authored contributions to information goods such as those produced through collaborations using the Internet as well as modular information goods such as open source software. It is argued that these distinctions are important because they suggest different organisational arrangements for producing such information goods. This method of analysing the nature of the information goods is employed to examine different organisational arrangements using the analogy of collaboration for traditional publication to identify actors and processes. The analysis of 'contributors' is extended from authorship to collectors and researchers. The paper examines a small survey of the governance procedures employed in projects that employ open source methods for collecting various types of information. We noted the prime role of the recruitment process in the relative success of the examples that we examined (ODP, Wikipedia, Nupedia, MathLearning, VRoma, and Web of Life). For these 'collection' efforts, the role of hierarchy in editing and review of project submissions appears to be important than in open source communities and may be an impediment to recruitment and project development. A number of directions for further research are identified.

Keywords: open source software; collaboration; hierarchies; trust; teams; co-operation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L33 L86 L96 P13 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2003-06-01
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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