Summary
Contents
Subject index
This 2-volume set within the SAGE Reference Series on Leadership tackles issues relevant to leadership in the realm of science and technology. To encompass the key topics in this arena, this handbook features 100 topics arranged under eight headings. Volume 1 concentrates on general principles of science and technology leadership and includes sections on social-scientific perspectives on S&T leadership; key scientific concepts about leading and innovating in S&T; characteristics of S&T leaders and their environments; and strategies, tactics, and tools of S&T leadership. Volume 2 provides case studies of leadership in S&T, with sections considering leadership in informal communities of scientists and engineers; leadership in government projects and research initiatives; leadership in industry research, development, and innovation; and finally, leadership in education and university-based research. By focusing on key topics within 100 brief chapters, this unprecedented reference resource offers students more detailed information and depth of discussion than typically found in an encyclopedia entry but not as much jargon, detail or density as in a journal article or a research handbook chapter. Entries are written in language and style that is broadly accessible, and each is followed by cross-references and a brief bibliography and further readings. A detailed index and an online version of the work enhances accessibility for today’s student audience.
Open Source Software Development
Open Source Software Development
Open source software development (OSSD) is a community-oriented, network-centricapproach to building complex software systems. What are the best-known ways andmeans for governing and leading OSSD? Answering this question has been the focusof a number of research publications and recent presentations. Why? Part of thisstems from the interests of government or industry practitioners who seek toprovide insight, explanatory frameworks, and guidance for others trying tointegrate OSS products into existing information technology (IT) systems.Another community of OSS scholars seeks to understand and explain how OSSDprojects enact adaptive, situated, yet informal processes that effectivelyself-organize and govern OSSD practices without traditional project managementor administrative regimes for resource control/allocation and decision-makingauthority. Finally, many scientific research and technology developmentendeavors are increasingly acting to build their research and development(R&D) tools, infrastructures, or applications through OSS components andOSSD practices.
This chapter contributes to this growing understanding about how to characterizethe ways and means for affecting governance and leadership within and acrossOSSD projects, as well as the participants and technologies that enable theseprojects and the larger communities of practice in which they operate andinteract. We provide an alternative perspective and analytical construct thatoffers multilevel analysis and explanation of governance and leadership in OSSDprojects. The chapter also provides a framework for comparison andgeneralization based on empirical studies of OSSD projects, work practices,development processes, and community dynamics (Scacchi 2007a). The perspectivedraws from sociotechnical interaction networks (STINs) asa persistent organizational form for collective action with and throughtechnical (computing) work systems (Scacchi 2005).
This chapter is therefore organized to review what is currently known aboutgovernance and leadership activities, forms, and processes in OSSD projects. Weidentify the analytical elements of OSSD governance and employ case studyresults to articulate these analytical elements. We discuss how the elementsobserved in these results begin to layout how governance and leadership works inan OSSD project. Last, the chapter provides a model for describing howgovernance and leadership forms in decentralized organizations might operatemore generally.
Related Research on OSSD Governance and Leadership
To start, we consider what is known so far from studies of governance in OSSDprojects, and of leadership in OSSD projects because these concepts aresometimes addressed distinctly in some studies, and other times jointly, asin this chapter.
Governance in OSSD Projects
In broad terms, two kinds of efforts are currently gaining attentionregarding how best to understand governance and OSSD. The first focusesattention to extrinsic issues of governance and OSSD, whereas the secondfocuses on intrinsic issues. A focus on extrinsicissues draws attention for how best to govern the results,outcomes, or products arising from OSSD projects, or matters such asanalysis of contracts, multi-firm alliances, conforming to OSS licenses,and economic rents (Franck and Jungwirth 2003; Demil and Lecocq 2006).In contrast, a focus on intrinsic issues ofgovernance attends to matters associated with OSS developmentactivities, actors, project communities, and surrounding organizationsthat encourage, facilitate, protect, or prosecute OSSDprojects and collective action. Intrinsic issues address matterspertaining to decision-making authority, resource allocation, personalmotives, leadership, social control, coordination mechanisms,organizational forms, and the like.
There is great interest in extrinsic issues of governing the adoption anduse of OSS within different enterprises. In contrast, there isrelatively little comparable interest currently being directed tointrinsic governance issues, though this is beginning to change,especially in large, corporate-sponsored OSSD projects. In contrast,smaller OSSD projects that lack corporate sponsorship, as may be morecommon with scientific research projects, need to be informed about whatOSSD governance practices may be relevant to their OSSD efforts.Therefore, this chapter examines issues arising in the intrinsicgovernance of OSSD projects.
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