LAYERED COLLABORATION: A SOCIO-TECHNICAL THEORY OF MOTIVATION AND ORGANIZATION FOR FREE AND OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

This paper develops a theory of layered collaboration in the development of Free and Open Source Software (FLOSS). Through a research arc of discovery (participant observation), replication (two archival case studies) and formalization (a model of developer choices) it is argued that work is far more often individual work done “in company” than it is teamwork. When tasks appear too large for an individual they are more likely to be deferred until they are easier rather than be undertaken through teamwork. It is theorized that this way of organizing is successful because it fits with the motivations of the participants, the nature of software as an IT artifact and its development as a task, and the key technologies of FLOSS collaboration. The theory, and the empirical findings in which it is grounded, are important because they enable a systematic approach to understanding the implications of FLOSS development as a model for adaptation and the future of informationalized work. Accordingly, the discussion enumerates the conditions under which this theory of organizing is likely to be successful, many stemming directly from software, an IT artifact, as an object of collaboration such as non-revocable and rewindable work with incremental incentives. These are used as a framework to analyze efforts to adapt the FLOSS model of organizing for self-organizing, virtual teams in other domains of work.