Strategic Release and Co-Creation: Empirical Insights for Managing Open Source Software

45 Pages Posted: 6 Mar 2018 Last revised: 19 Dec 2023

See all articles by Wei Chen

Wei Chen

University of Connecticut - Department of Operations & Information Management

Xiaofeng Liu

Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College - The City University of New York

Vish Krishnan

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Rady School of Management

Kevin Zhu

University of California, San Diego

Date Written: December 12, 2023

Abstract

Open-source software (OSS) is increasingly essential in business operations, but managing OSS projects is complex due to their open and collaborative nature. This complexity is particularly evident in release dynamics and user community co-creation, which have been largely underexplored and lack empirical analysis. In our study, we develop a dynamic structural model to analyze decision-making in OSS release and co-creation processes. Our findings demonstrate that OSS project outcomes are positively associated with new releases and co-creation efforts. In addition, it is also important for projects to weigh these benefits against the incurred costs. We highlight the role of team capacity as a crucial determinant of the costs of release and co-creation decisions. Through counterfactual simulations, we examine how additional resources impact OSS projects, offering insights into optimal resource allocation and strategic responses for project managers. These findings have broader applications in the management of technology-driven, crowd-sourced new product co-creation, extending beyond the scope of open-source software development and adoption.

Keywords: Release Decisions, Co-creation, Community Engagement, Open Source Software, Structural Model

Suggested Citation

Chen, Wei and Liu, Xiaofeng and Krishnan, Vish and Zhu, Kevin, Strategic Release and Co-Creation: Empirical Insights for Managing Open Source Software (December 12, 2023). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3135073 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3135073

Wei Chen (Contact Author)

University of Connecticut - Department of Operations & Information Management ( email )

1 University Pl
Stamford, CT 06902
United States

Xiaofeng Liu

Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College - The City University of New York ( email )

55 Lexington Ave., Box B13-260
New York, NY 10010
United States

Vish Krishnan

University of California, San Diego (UCSD) - Rady School of Management ( email )

9500 Gilman Drive
Rady School of Management
La Jolla, CA 92093
United States

Kevin Zhu

University of California, San Diego ( email )

9500 Gilman Drive
Mail Code 0502
La Jolla, CA 92093-0112
United States

HOME PAGE: http://https://rady.ucsd.edu/people/faculty/zhu/

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