The Holders of Stake in Free and Open Source Software Projects

Much is known about key participants in free and open source software projects, that is, the developers, testers, bug reporters, users and sponsors. However, it is also known, through the stakeholder theory, that these key... [ view full abstract ]

Much is known about key participants in free and open source software projects, that is, the developers, testers, bug reporters, users and sponsors. However, it is also known, through the stakeholder theory, that these key participants do not represent all the people involved in, or affected by, the activities of these projects. Accordingly to this organizational theory, there are always those who do not directly engage in the development or the use of a product or service but are still affected by its operations, being eventually influential in its success or failure (e.g., politically or competitively). This matter can be noticed easily in open source projects that are successful and funded by public or private organizations, as their stakeholders’ ecosystem is far more diverse and complex than the free and open source software literature has recognized so far. As yet, there is no generic stakeholder model for free software organizations that can be adapted for any specific case in hand and used for making decisions related to the organizational strategies and production activities. This article provides this very model, depicted as a strategic tool that provides ground for the assessment of the interests, motivations and influences of all groups responsible for the survival and success of free and open source software projects.