Understanding Developers’ Motives in Open Source Projects: A Multi-Theoretical Framework

Communications of the AIS, Vol. 27, Article 30, pp. 589-610, 2010

32 Pages Posted: 28 Feb 2010 Last revised: 19 Dec 2010

See all articles by Hind Benbya

Hind Benbya

Deakin University

Nassim Belbaly

GSCM-Montpellier Business School

Date Written: January 14, 2010

Abstract

The question of why so many developers dedicate time and effort into contributing to Open Source Projects (OSP) is one of the most intriguing questions in OS research. Several preliminary studies have theorized about and empirically examined this challenging question. They suggest a variety of reasons to explain this phenomenon but mostly rely on self-determination theory, with its extrinsic-intrinsic dichotomy, to explain the heterogeneous and complex nature of motivation in OS. This paper provides an alternative, theory-driven approach, where three different, yet complementary, theories of motivation are combined, to explain the participation and outcomes of developers in OSP. More specifically, our multi-theoretical framework is based upon, social exchange theory, goal-orientation and expectancy theory. An empirical test of the model is provided within the context of SourceForge.net. The results offer new theoretical and practical insights into developers’ motivation and how it affects their participation and outcomes.

Keywords: Open Source Software, Motivation, Goal-Orientation, Social Exchange Theory, Expectancy, Participation, Outcomes

Suggested Citation

Benbya, Hind and Belbaly, Nassim, Understanding Developers’ Motives in Open Source Projects: A Multi-Theoretical Framework (January 14, 2010). Communications of the AIS, Vol. 27, Article 30, pp. 589-610, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1560664

Hind Benbya (Contact Author)

Deakin University ( email )

221, Burwood Highway
Melbourne, VIC 3125
Australia

Nassim Belbaly

GSCM-Montpellier Business School ( email )

2300, Avenue des Moulins
Montpellier, 34185
France