Sourcing knowledge in open source software projects: The impacts of internal and external social capital on project success

2018 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Daniel, Sherae; Midha, Vishal; Bhattacherhjee, Anol; Singh, Shivendu Pratap

Abstract: Open source software (OSS) development has become an essential element of IT str ... Expand

Abstract: Open source software (OSS) development has become an essential element of IT strategy: many firms seek OSS as a strategic means of unlocking the business value in external developer communities and internal knowledge sources. However, integrating external and internal sources of social capital is challenging and identifying appropriate integration strategies is crucial for the success of such endeavors. This study examines the simultaneous effects of external and internal sources of social capital, in the form of participant and project differences, and examines how they interact to influence OSS project success. We propose a taxonomy of participant differences (language, role, and contribution) and project differences (development environment and connectedness) and postulate their main and moderating effects on project success. Using a four-year panel data set of 329 SourceForge projects, we show that development environment difference has a curvilinear relationship with success and that connectedness reduces the positive impact of role and contribution diversity on project success. We also show that when development environment difference is moderate, the impact of role diversity is the most positive. We present the implications of these findings for theory and practice. Collapse

Topics: social capital database system knowledge sharing project productivity information systems strategy

Methods: theory development descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test chi squared test company material

Theories: social capital theory

The Effects of Programming Style on Open Source Collaboration

2017 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Wang, Zhiyi; Hahn, Jungpil

Abstract: Open source software (OSS) development has recently garnered much attention from ... Expand

Abstract: Open source software (OSS) development has recently garnered much attention from both industry practitioners and academic researchers. However, existing research on OSS usually focus on the role of behavioral factors in affecting collaboration outcomes but has neglected to critically consider the nature of software itself. In this study, we seek to integrate collaboration factors and software factors in OSS collaboration. Specifically, we investigate the role of programming style in open source collaboration, where strict guidelines for coding are usually not enforced. We develop three implications of programming style on contributor, development and diffusion from a diversity perspective. Additionally, two team level factors that moderate the negative effects of programming style are discussed. A comprehensive measure for quantifying programming style is proposed and verified in our preliminary investigation. Our study is expected to contribute to the literature on OSS development, software engineering and diversity in distributed work groups. Collapse

Topics: source code open source systems development JavaScript programming language

Methods: statistical hypothesis test econometric modeling data modeling linear regression analysis econometric model

Open source project success: Resource access, flow, and integration

2016 | Journal of Strategic Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Daniel, Sherae; Stewart, Katherine

Abstract: Open source software projects share key resources including knowledge and develo ... Expand

Abstract: Open source software projects share key resources including knowledge and developer attention. Developers who participate on multiple projects create ties among projects and facilitate access to those projects’ resources. However, projects also compete for developer attention, and they vary in their ability to integrate knowledge. This paper explores how factors that facilitate knowledge integration (low software coupling and high interactive discussion) impact project success and how developers’ attention to external projects may dampen a focal project’s success. Further, we explore how these factors may moderate the positive impact of a project’s network degree centrality to develop a more nuanced model of their influences on project success. Using data from 175 OSS projects we find that software coupling, interactive discussion and externally focused developer attention directly impact completed code commits. Interactive discussion also amplifies the benefit of high network degree centrality, while developers’ external attention weakens the positive impact of high network degree centrality. Results add to theory by providing a more nuanced view of how key strategic resources (knowledge and attention) drive OSS success. In particular it describes how knowledge integration ability, developer attention, and network degree centrality interact to influence project outcomes. Collapse

Topics: source code knowledge sharing open source Java internet technology

Methods: robustness check forums posting archival research descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test

Novelty-Knowledge Alignment: A Theory of Design Convergence in Systems Development

2012 | Journal of Management Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: Tiwana, Amrit

Abstract: Recent research emphasizing the need for more business knowledge in information ... Expand

Abstract: Recent research emphasizing the need for more business knowledge in information technology (IT) units and more technical knowledge in line functions largely overlooks the question of when maintaining either form of such "peripheral" knowledge-a costly endeavor-is valuable. Further application and process novelty are increasingly unavoidable in systems development projects but remain largely overlooked in theory. It is plausible that one type of peripheral knowledge is valuable under one type of novelty but not the other.I develop the idea that discriminating alignment between project novelty and peripheral knowledge is needed for them to enhance systems development performance. Thus, the valuable type of peripheral knowledge depends on whether a project involves novelty in the project concept or in its development processes. Further, we lack an explanation for how such discriminating alignment translates into improved project performance. I develop and test a middle-range theory built around two ideas to address these gaps. First, alignment between project novelty and peripheral knowledge must be discriminating to enhance systems development performance. Second, such discriminating alignment accelerates design convergence, which in turn enhances systems development performance. Tests using data from 159 projects support the proposed ideas. The primary contribution of this paper is therefore explaining when and how alignment between project novelty and peripheral knowledge in IT and client departments enhances systems development performance. The key implication is that greater application domain knowledge in the IT unit (technical knowledge in the client department) enhances performance in projects involving greater application novelty (process novelty). Collapse

Topics: systems development project productivity system development method business process management IT development project

Methods: partial least squares regression survey data transformation descriptive statistic statistical hypothesis test

Following the Sun: Temporal Dispersion and Performance in Open Source Software Project Teams

2010 | Journal of the Association for Information Systems | Citations: 24

Authors: Colazo, Jorge A.; Yulin Fang

Abstract: Dispersion in working teams has been addressed by extant research mostly in term ... Expand

Abstract: Dispersion in working teams has been addressed by extant research mostly in terms of the physical distance that separates team members. Recently, the focus has shifted toward an examination of a newer construct -temporal dispersion (TD). The study of TD so far has been constrained mostly to conceptual work. This study furthers the understanding of TD through an empirical investigation of its relationship with open source software (OSS) team performance. In this paper, hypotheses are developed based on coordination theory, and analyses are performed using data collected from multiple archival sources comprising 100 OSS development teams. Results indicate that TD positively affects development speed and quality and that software complexity moderates the relation between TD and software quality. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Collapse

Topics: virtual teamwork team productivity source code project productivity electronic mail

Methods: regression analysis method descriptive statistic archival research cross sectional research

Theories: coordination theory

Investigating the Antecedents of Team-Based Clan Control: Adding Social Capital as a Predictor

2010 | Organization Science | Citations: 0

Authors: Kirsch, Laurie J.; Ko, Dong-Gil; Haney, Mark H.

Abstract: Organizations are increasingly relying on team-based structures as work becomes ... Expand

Abstract: Organizations are increasingly relying on team-based structures as work becomes more complex, nonroutine, and knowledge intensive. Teams comprised of individuals with diverse skills and expertise may be well suited to perform such work. However, as teams become more prevalent, organizations may struggle with ways to exercise control. Formal controls, with their focus on prespecified rules, performance targets, and hierarchical relationships, may be less effective in a teamwork environment than clan control, in which work-related behavior is motivated by shared norms and values, as well as a common vision, and individuals attempt to be accepted or "regular" members of a team. However, little is known about the antecedents of clan control. Much of the existing empirical research on the antecedents of control has been influenced by Ouchi's (Ouchi, W. G. 1977. The relationship between organizational structure and organizational control. Admin. Sci. Quart. 22 95-113) framework, which posits clan control is used when managers lack knowledge of means-ends relationships and are unable to measure outcomes. This paper adopts the view that clan control is a "people" or social process and argues that social capital, a construct that reflects connections and relationships among individuals, is a missing, key antecedent of clan control. In particular, we posit that the existence of social capital enables team members, as well as project managers, to facilitate clan control within a team, i.e., team-based clan control. A model is developed and hypotheses are tested using survey data collected from 95 information systems project teams. The results suggest that social capital assets are associated with team-based clan control. Recognizing that the project manager typically has a different level of organizational authority than team members, additional hypotheses are developed relating characteristics of the project manager to team-based clan control. The results of these tests suggest that team-based clan control is also dependent on the manager's knowledge of business processes and the application area, coupled with the extent to which he observes the behaviors of the project team. Thus, our results suggest that there are conditions under which team-based clan control is facilitated by the project team as a whole (including team members and project managers), as well as conditions under which team-based clan control is facilitated by project managers in their role as team leaders. Implications and suggestions for future work are discussed. Collapse

Topics: social capital IT project business process management IT development project IT manager

Methods: survey regression analysis method factor analysis statistical hypothesis test data transformation

Theories: theory of shared mental models

A Control Theory Perspective on Agile Methodology Use and Changing User Requirements

2009 | Information Systems Research | Citations: 327

Authors: Maruping, Likoebe M.; Venkatesh, Viswanath; Agarwal, Ritu

Abstract: In this paper, we draw on control theory to understand the conditions under whic ... Expand

Abstract: In this paper, we draw on control theory to understand the conditions under which the use of agile practices is most effective in improving software project quality. Although agile development methodologies offer the potential of improving software development outcomes, limited research has examined how project managers can structure the software development environment to maximize the benefits of agile methodology use during a project. As a result, project managers have little guidance on how to manage teams who are using agile methodologies. Arguing that the most effective control modes are those that provide teams with autonomy in determining the methods for achieving project objectives, we propose hypotheses related to the interaction between control modes, agile methodology use, and requirements change. We test the model in a field study of 862 software developers in 110 teams. The model explains substantial variance in four objective measures of project quality—bug severity, component complexity, coordinative complexity, and dynamic complexity. Results largely support our hypotheses, highlighting the interplay between project control, agile methodology use, and requirements change. The findings contribute to extant literature by integrating control theory into the growing literature on agile methodology use and by identifying specific contingencies affecting the efficacy of different control modes. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our results. Collapse

Topics: agile software development systems development IT project IT development project system quality

Methods: design methodology descriptive statistic theory development field study survey

Theories: control theory