Volume 20, Number 2 Article by Annapoornima M Subramanian and Pek-Hooi Soh June, 2008
Knowledge Integration and Effectiveness of Open Source Software Development Projects :
Emerging research in the field of Open Source Software (OSS) focuses on the factors that lead to the effectiveness of OSS development teams. OSS projects are virtual communities that integrate knowledge possessed by developers with varied expertise. The scope of knowledge possessed by developers from diverse backgrounds can increase the effectiveness of the project. However, as they have diverse goals and perspectives, it could be a challenging task to integrate their knowledge. Motivated by these two contradictory premises, this study uses knowledge integration theory to show that the capability of OSS projects in integrating knowledge has a positive influence on the effectiveness of the project.
The research model is based on the idea that competency of OSS projects along the three dimensions of knowledge integration (efficiency, flexibility and scope of integration) enhances the effectiveness of the project. The impact of the three knowledge integration capabilities is tested using objective data on 152 open source software development projects. The effectiveness of the project is measured based on the output generated during software development. Efficiency of integration is measured in terms of the communication structure of the OSS project. Flexibility is measured in terms of the license compatibility of the OSS projects; and scope is measured in terms of the number of software and operating systems used in developing the software. Controlling for factors such as age of the project, number of developers involved and development stage, the findings indicate that efficiency and flexibility of knowledge integration of OSS projects positively influence the effectiveness of these projects. However, scope of integration did not have a significant influence on the effectiveness of the project. The findings also emphasise the significance of the license structure.
Reprint No 08201
