Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to examine knowledge-sharing practices among professionals in the free and open-source software community. It emphasizes the concept of knowledge community by applying Bona Fide Group Theory, and explores the mechanism of knowledge sharing across boundaries within the community. Following a cross-cultural perspective, this research identified several key contextual and social factors that influence knowledge sharing and community development within the FOSS4G community.

Theoretical framework

This research project adopts the Bona Fide Groups Theory (Putnam & Stohl, 1990) which features two elements of small groups, including permeable boundaries and group interdependence within its contexts. It provided a framework for understanding the interactions and collaborations within naturally formed groups with special characteristics, such as fluctuations in group member commitment and a shared sense of boundaries (Putnam & Stohl, 1996; Frey, 2003; Stohl & Putnam, 2005).

Built upon this framework, this research delineates the mechanism of knowledge sharing and how the knowledge transfer practices impact member identification within the free and open-source community. Particularly, it examines the impact of recent advancements in AI technology on daily communication and collaboration within the community, and further explains the interdependence within this shared context (Galanes, 2003). This research provides empirical data to advance the current understanding of bona fide groups by examining novel boundary features defined by the advancement of AI technologies within the free and open-source community.

Methodology

The authors conducted 30 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with professionals working within free and open-source software communities worldwide. The first round of interviews is conducted in face-to-face settings during the Euro Foss4G conference in Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The second round of interviews are conducted online. Each interview lasts from 60-80 mins. The interview transcripts are analyzed with the software of MAXQDA. Interview questions are asked about the communication and collective experiences of collaborating with working professionals working with free and open-source software for geospatial (Foss4G) technologies. Particularly, the individual motives and collaboration experiences from the cross-cultural perspectives are examined. Questions around the impact of recent advancements in AI technologies on virtual work collaboration and community building are explored. Further, interviewees were also asked to describe their experiences in the free and open-source community and how their personal experiences impacted their perception of community and community culture.

Findings and results

The research results contribute to the literature on knowledge transfer and, in particular, to our understanding of boundary conditions and knowledge transfer approaches in virtual communities. The results highlight several contextual and social factors which impact knowledge sharing across the boundary in the context of free and open-source communities.

The findings explain the mechanisms of the shared sense of boundary and the impact of contextual and social factors that impact knowledge transfer in free and open-source communities from a cross-cultural perspective, which has not been thoroughly studied due to its unique nature and emerging complexity. It offers fresh insights looking into task interdependence with a virtual community shaped by the advancement of AI technology. The research findings also lend further support to understanding the motivates and commitment of members within the community and how their commitment impacts the personal perceptions of permeate boundaries within the community, as well as the impact on task interdependence and knowledge-sharing practices within the free and open-source community.

Practical implication and future studies

This research offers several important practical implications for professionals in free and open-source community work. First, it highlights the important communication mechanism and its impact on members’ commitment and identification within the community. Understanding this mechanism will contribute to developing better commitment of members within the free and open-source community. Second, it suggests the need to establish an effective process with communication tools to accommodate the novelty of boundaries, particularly from a cross-cultural perspective. Third, the understanding of permeate boundaries helps community members to better collaborate and engage in knowledge-sharing practices and collectively contribute to the community culture. Last but not least, it also suggests community leaders to better maintain and monitor the interactions within the community and embrace a positive community culture. For future studies, researchers could adopt different data collection approaches to examine the interaction patterns of knowledge sharing within free and open-source communities, such as a survey.

References

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