How open is open source? - software and beyond
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In: Creativity and Innovation Management, Vol. 19, No. 3, 09.2010, p. 248-256.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - How open is open source? - software and beyond
AU - Balka, Kerstin
AU - Raasch, Christina
AU - Herstatt, Cornelius
PY - 2010/9
Y1 - 2010/9
N2 - Traditionally the protection of intellectual property is regarded as a precondition for value capture. The rise of open source (OS) software and OS tangible products, so-called open design, has challenged this understanding. Openness is often regarded as a dichotomous variable (open-source vs. closed-source) and it is assumed that online developer communities demand full opening of the product’s source. In this paper we will explore openness as a gradual and multi-dimensional concept. We carried out an Internet survey (N = 270) among participants of 20 open design communities in the domain of IT hardware and consumer electronics. We find that open design projects pursue complex strategies short of complete openness and that communities value openness of software more highly than openness of hardware. Our findings suggest that open design companies can successfully implement strategies of partial openness to safeguard value capture without alienating their developer community.
AB - Traditionally the protection of intellectual property is regarded as a precondition for value capture. The rise of open source (OS) software and OS tangible products, so-called open design, has challenged this understanding. Openness is often regarded as a dichotomous variable (open-source vs. closed-source) and it is assumed that online developer communities demand full opening of the product’s source. In this paper we will explore openness as a gradual and multi-dimensional concept. We carried out an Internet survey (N = 270) among participants of 20 open design communities in the domain of IT hardware and consumer electronics. We find that open design projects pursue complex strategies short of complete openness and that communities value openness of software more highly than openness of hardware. Our findings suggest that open design companies can successfully implement strategies of partial openness to safeguard value capture without alienating their developer community.
KW - Management studies
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034747964&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00569.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1467-8691.2010.00569.x
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:85034747964
VL - 19
SP - 248
EP - 256
JO - Creativity and Innovation Management
JF - Creativity and Innovation Management
SN - 0963-1690
IS - 3
ER -