Work

Loosen control without losing control: Formalization and decentralization within commons‐based peer production

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: This study considers commons-based peer production (CBPP) by examining the organizational processes of the free/libre open-source software community, Drupal. It does so by exploring the sociotechnical systems that have emerged around both Drupal's development and its face-to-face communitarian events. There has been criticism of the simplistic nature of previous research into free software; this study addresses this by linking studies of CBPP with a qualitative study of Drupal's organizational processes. It focuses on the evolution of organizational structures, identifying the intertwined dynamics of formalization and decentralization, resulting in coexisting sociotechnical systems that vary in their degrees of organicity.

Source: Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology

DOI: 10.1002/asi.24393

Authors: David Rozas, Steven Huckle

Institutions: Universidad Complutense de Madrid, University of Surrey, University of Sussex

Language: English

Topic: Open Source Software Innovations

Subfield: Computer Science Applications

Field: Computer Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000

Funder: H2020 European Research Council