Von Hippel and Von Krogh (2003)
Contents
Source Details
| Von Hippel and Von Krogh (2003) | |
| Title: | Open source software and the “private-collective” innovation model: Issues for organization science. |
| Author(s): | Von Hippel, E., Von Krogh, G. |
| Year: | 2003 |
| Citation: | Von Hippel, E. and Von Krogh, G. (2003). Open source software and the “private-collective” innovation model: Issues for organization science. Organization science, 14(2), p. 209-223 |
| Link(s): | Definitive , Open Access |
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| About the Data | |
| Data Description: | The article describes a new model in organisation science: the “private-collective” model of innovation |
| Data Type: | Primary and Secondary data |
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| Cross Country Study?: | No |
| Comparative Study?: | No |
| Literature review?: | Yes |
| Government or policy study?: | No |
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Abstract
"Currently, two models of innovation are prevalent in organization science. The “private investment” model assumes returns to the innovator result from private goods and efficient regimes of intellectual property protection. The “collective action” model assumes that under conditions of market failure, innovators collaborate in order to produce a public good. The phenomenon of open source software development shows that users program to solve their own as well as shared technical problems, and freely reveal their innovations without appropriating private returns from selling the software. In this paper, we propose that open source software development is an exemplar of a compound “private-collective” model of innovation that contains elements of both the private investment and the collective action models and can offer society the “best of both worlds” under many conditions. We describe a new set of research questions this model raises for scholars in organization science. We offer some details regarding the types of data available for open source projects in order to ease access for researchers who are unfamiliar with these, and also offer some advice on conducting empirical studies on open source software development processes."
Main Results of the Study
- This study presents open source software development as an example of the ‘private-collective model’ of innovation which lies between private investment and collective action models.
In the ‘private-collective’ model of innovation free revealing is not perceived as a loss of private profit for the innovator, but rather as a mean to increase net gain in private profit (e.g. increase innovation diffusion, increase an innovator’s innovation-related profits through network effects.). Those who contribute to a public good can obtain private benefits which are tied to the development of that good.
Policy Implications as Stated By Author
- The authors offer different entry point to start research on open source project and orientate researchers in an environment that might be unfamiliar to them.
- For example:
- Where to find the projects (e.g. Sourceforge.net) - Looking at the Geocrawler site to see the interactions among project members. - Creating an “intellectual genealogy” for an open source development project at the early stage of the research. - Taking into account private email, or direct communication between users as those can help study motives, incentives, community development, coordination, and technical decision-making in projects
Coverage of Study
Datasets
| Sample size: | 1 |
| Level of aggregation: | Economic model |
| Period of material under study: | Not stated |
