How do firms make use of open source communities?

Citation

Dahlander, L. (2009), "How do firms make use of open source communities?", Strategic Direction, Vol. 25 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2009.05625fad.007

How do firms make use of open source communities?

Article Type: Abstracts From: Strategic Direction, Volume 25, Issue 6

Dahlander L., Magnusson M.Long Range Planning, December 2008, Vol. 41 No. 6, Start page: 629, No. of pages: 21

Purpose – studies how software development companies, operating in a for-profit context, manage their relationships with the external knowledge developed in the very different framework of the free-libre open source software (FLOSS) movement and its communities. Design/methodology/approach – a review of the literature of FL/OSS and its relationship to innovation processes is presented. Describes the study that used the FL/OSS setting to analyse how companies make use of communities to commercialize software. Analyses case study data derived from practical use of four database models (MySQL, Cendio, Roxen, SOT) in Scandinavian countries to determine how the companies were forced to adapt the structure of their business plans. Develops three themes for such relationships (accessing, aligning, assimilating) and examines the tactics involved and their positive and negative consequences. Describes the pros and cons of each of the three themes. Findings – the results indicated that using communities is a way for companies to increase the total amount of resources they can draw upon in the innovation processes, but there is at the same time a counter-acting need to appropriate the potential value of an innovation by limiting other companies’ access to the same resources and information. Calls for new means to coordinate and control the development and use of knowledge over time. Research limitations/implications – the research was limited in the sense that, while FL/OSS constitutes a specific, and in some ways extreme, setting, there is a wider need to understand how communities outside the hierarchical control of managers can be used in an effective manner. Originality/value – provides indications of where companies are active in creating innovations beyond the four walls of the company, and are developing strategies to profit from developments in communities they cannot control.ISSN: 0024-6301Reference: 38AC608DOI: 10.1016/j.lrp.2008.09.003

Keywords: Case studies, Communities of practice, Organizations, Research and development, Scandinavia, Technology-led strategy