Management issues in open source software networks

Abstract

Open Source Software projects base their operation on collaborative structure for knowledge exchange in the form of provision or reception of information, expertise and feedback on the creation of source code. Here, we address the direction of these knowledge flows among projects throughout social networks and their impact on project success. We identify the roles of membership or contribution that individuals play within projects. We found that connections through contributors who bring their knowledge inbound the project, improve project success; connections through members, who transfer their knowledge towards other projects, enhance project success. Finally, we found that ties through shared membership and contribution hamper project success. The analysis of knowledge flows and their impact on project success imply a translation of returns from investment in social capital, where investment takes the shape of knowledge flows and the returns mean the projects’ diffusion over the network