The Effects of Extrinsic Motivations and Satisfaction in Open Source Software Development

As a new phenomenon in the software industry, Open Source Software (OSS) development has attracted a high level of research interest. Examining what motivates participants in OSS projects and how to enhance the effects of motivations has received increased attention in recent years. This study is prompted by the significant but detail-lacking examination of differential effects of various types of extrinsic motivations on participants’ task effort in OSS projects and their interaction effects with participants’ psychological states. Drawing upon self-determination theory, we establish four types of extrinsic motivations in OSS communities (i.e., external, introjected, identified, and integrated motivation) and investigate how these types affect task effort differently. Also, integrating self-determination theory with affective event theory, we study how satisfaction of needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness moderates the relationships between extrinsic motivations and task effort. The research model is largely supported by data from 250 participants in various OSS projects. Theoretical contribution and practical implications are discussed

Motivation, Social Identity and Ideology Conviction in OSS Communities: The Mediating Role of Effort Intensity and Goal Commitment

Research has found salient individual and social motivating factors that influence participants’ involvement and contribution to OSS projects. Yet, these factors were examined independently from each other, and the mechanisms of their impacts were unclear. This paper is a first attempt to have a better and complete understanding of the phenomenon. We theorize an integrated model on the effects of personal motivation, social identity and ideology conviction on individuals’ task performance in and satisfaction with open source software projects. In particular, we posit that these motivating factors are translated into performance and satisfaction through effort intensity and goal commitment. Also, we contend that task performance positively affects an individual’s satisfaction with a specific OSS project

MOTIVATIONS FOR PARTICIPATING IN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE COMMUNITIES: ROLES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS AND ALTRUISM

As a new phenomenon of the software industry, Open Source Software (OSS) development has attracted many research interests. Examining what motivate participants to be involved in OSS projects is one of the recently heated research areas. This study is motivated by the significance but lacking evidence on how personality traits may affect participants\u27 task effort on OSS projects. In particular, we investigate how personality traits namely psychological needs for autonomy and competence, and one\u27s altruism interact with motivations. Following Self-Determination Theory, we differentiate types of motivation in OSS communities. In addition, drawing upon the Affective Event theory, we submit that personality traits moderate the relationships between task effort and both external and identified motivations. The research model is largely supported by data from 204 participants in various OSS projects. Theoretical contributions and practical implications are discussed

Participating in Open Source Software Projects: The Role of Empowerment

As a community-based innovation, Open Source Software (OSS) development intrigues researchers and practitioners, especially on why OSS projects succeed with light coordination and control mechanisms. In the view that the viability and sustainability of an OSS project rely on individuals’ contribution and engagement, we investigate how the psychological feelings of empowerment derived from the assessments of OSS tasks affect participants’ participation outcomes. In particular, we posit that empowerment can lead directly to participants’ task performance and satisfaction in OSS projects. In addition, empowerment’s effect on task performance and satisfaction can also be mediated by task effort. The research model is supported by data collected from 233 OSS participants. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications of this study are discussed

Antecedents and Consequence of Internet-enabled Supply Chain Integration: An Exploratory

Understanding the antecedents and consequence of Internet-enabled Supply Chain Integration (IeSCI) is an important concern to researchers and practitioners. Although the existing research has identified economic and legitimacy-oriented motives that lead IeSCI, there is a lack of research investigating how these motives are interrelated. In addition, the findings of previous studies on the consequence of IeSCI adoption have been mixed and even controversial. Drawing upon transactional cost economics (TCE) and institutional theory, this study develops a research model on the interrelationships between economic and legitimacy-oriented motives, the IeSCI dimensions, and firm performance. Results from a survey show that the firm’s economic and legitimacy motives have positive effects on the adoption of IeSCI dimensions (i.e., information integration, planning synchronization and operational coordination). Meanwhile, economic and legitimacy motives are significantly interrelated. In addition, information integration and operational coordination can improve firm operational and customer service performance. Contributions and implications of this study are discussed

Exploring the Process of Fresh Produce Supply Within a Platform Ecosystem During City Lockdown Period

While the existing literature focusing on how organizations collaborate within ecosystems to overcome institutional logic conflicts and the information systems enabled inter-organizational cooperation, less is known on how information systems develop during crises and enable effective collaboration among stakeholders. Through an in-depth case study of Shenzhen Company H (pseudonym) platform ecosystem, we present an IT-enabled fresh produce supply process. Our findings reveal that this process unfolds across four dimensions - iterative IT tailoring, progressive system synergy, facilitative IT confluence, and user-attuned technological adaptation. Based on these dimensions, we propose an IT-enabled platform ecosystem orchestration mechanism in crisis situations. These mechanisms also offer practical implications not only for organizations\u27 strategies when facing crises but also for the enhancement of their daily operational competence

Market Orientation, Electronic Supply Chain Integration, and Firm Performance in China: The Moderating Role of Ownership Type

Integrating supply chain processes over the Internet to achieve competitive advantages has generated much attention from practitioners and researchers, especially those in emerging economies. Drawing upon the institutional theory and resource based view, this study investigates how market orientation affects electronic supply chain integration (eSCI), which, in turn, influences firm performance in the emerging economy of China. We further examine how the relationships between market orientation and eSCI are moderated by ownership type. The results of a survey with 260 firms in China suggest that the dimensions of market orientation have differential impacts on the eSCI, and both dimensions of eSCI have significant effects on firm performance. In addition, the relationships between market orientation and eSCI are moderated by both ownership type in China. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed

Comprehension of online consumer-generated product review: a construal level perspective

This study explores how consumers, who differ in their psychological distance toward the purchasing event (i.e., temporal distance) or toward product review writers (i.e., social distance), comprehend concrete or abstract reviews. Two experiments were conducted. The first experiment examined how a consumer’s perception of temporal distance, near future or distant future, would affect his/her comprehension of product reviews of varying abstractness. Results reveal that consumers of near temporal distance perceive concrete reviews to be more helpful. These consumers express a higher recall ability compared to counterparts of distant temporal distance. However, consumers of near temporal distance perceive abstract reviews to be less helpful and express a lower recall ability compared to those of distant temporal distance. The second experiment investigated how social distance, i.e., whether the review is written by someone who is perceived to be socially close to the reader would influence his/her comprehension of product reviews of varying abstractness. Results indicate that, with the provision of concrete reviews, consumers perceive non-significant difference of the review helpfulness under near and distant social distance and exhibit comparable recall ability. With the provision of abstract reviews, however, consumers of a near social distance recognize the reviews as helpful and recall the product better than did those of a distant social distance. This study presents a theoretically-driven and empirically-validated proposition to improve the presentation of product reviews to aid consumer review comprehension