TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancing Hybrid OSS Development Through Agile Methods and High Media Synchronicity
AU - Chengalur-Smith, Indu Shobha
AU - Nevo, Saggi
AU - Fitzgerald, Brian
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Copyright is held by the owner/author(s).
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Open source software (OSS) is increasingly being developed by hybrid teams that consist of a mix of company employees and volunteer developers. While hybrid OSS teams are becoming more prevalent, they also face unique challenges due to the involvement of different constituents. To address those challenges, this paper develops and validates a new organizing model. Specifically, the paper draws on media synchronicity theory (MST) to theorize that hybrid OSS teams would benefit from adopting an organizing model that involves practicing agile methods and using communication tools with multiple symbols sets and high transmission velocity. The paper also extends MST by conceptualizing the theory's key concept of communication convergence as consisting of two distinct dimensions: affective and cognitive convergence. Using primary survey data from hybrid OSS teams, the paper presents empirical evidence that such an organizing model can enhance those teams' affective convergence and cognitive convergence and, in turn, their development productivity and the quality of the software. In addition, the results show that affective convergence has a stronger impact on hybrid OSS teams' performance than cognitive convergence.
AB - Open source software (OSS) is increasingly being developed by hybrid teams that consist of a mix of company employees and volunteer developers. While hybrid OSS teams are becoming more prevalent, they also face unique challenges due to the involvement of different constituents. To address those challenges, this paper develops and validates a new organizing model. Specifically, the paper draws on media synchronicity theory (MST) to theorize that hybrid OSS teams would benefit from adopting an organizing model that involves practicing agile methods and using communication tools with multiple symbols sets and high transmission velocity. The paper also extends MST by conceptualizing the theory's key concept of communication convergence as consisting of two distinct dimensions: affective and cognitive convergence. Using primary survey data from hybrid OSS teams, the paper presents empirical evidence that such an organizing model can enhance those teams' affective convergence and cognitive convergence and, in turn, their development productivity and the quality of the software. In addition, the results show that affective convergence has a stronger impact on hybrid OSS teams' performance than cognitive convergence.
KW - affective convergence
KW - agile practices
KW - cognitive convergence
KW - hybrid oss teams
KW - media synchronicity theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85122619779&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1145/3508484.3508490
DO - 10.1145/3508484.3508490
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85122619779
SN - 0095-0033
VL - 52
SP - 92
EP - 118
JO - Data Base for Advances in Information Systems
JF - Data Base for Advances in Information Systems
IS - 4
ER -