Open Source Application Software, Organizing and Innovation Minitrack

Open Source (OS) is an approach to design and development based on shared and open access to a common set of design artifacts, driven by volunteer communities, or ‘crowds’. The original form of OS, software development, is seen as a harbinger for future forms of organizing and innovation. Work is increasingly being conducted by crowds on software platforms such as Github or Mechanical Turk, and innovations are often crowdsourced on platforms such as OpenIDEO, or shared in 3D printing communities such as Thingiverse. As OS is becoming an important paradigm for innovation, design, and development, the understanding of its basic mechanisms promises to deliver value to a wide range of phenomena. This minitrack solicits three types of submissions:

• Work on OS application software and OS software platforms - Papers that focus on open source application software used for profit or non-profit purposes. Topics include:
• OS enterprise software (e.g. CRM-/ERP-/BPM-software, business intelligence software)
• OS development platforms (e.g. Github, Sourceforge, Thingiverse etc.)
• Dissemination, use and maintenance
• Maturity, forking, licensing and commercialisation


• Work on the fundamental foundations of OS organizing - Papers that investigate the underlying principles by which open communities organize themselves and achieve effective coordination, learning, and stakeholder communication. Topics include:
• Coordination
• Learning
• Transparency & openness
• Lifecycles
• Community building, governance & structure
• Socialization


• Work on OS innovation processes - Papers that inquire into OS innovation and the processes which lead to innovative, creative, and/or successful outcomes. Topics include:
• Design & development routines
• Emergent software methodologies
• Exploration, exploitation, and ambidexterity
• Conditions, processes, and structures favouring innovative and creative outcomes
• Problem-solving & creativity

The types of studies that would be relevant for this mini-track include those that deal with the fundamental aspects of OS, but are not necessarily restricted to software (e.g. 3D printing, open hardware etc. are also relevant). Beyond this requirement, we are interested in all forms of research, including qualitative, quantitative, mixed, computational, and theoretical papers. In particular, we would like to see the following:

• Ethnographic studies utilizing digital trace and/or archival data
• Mixed methods studies combining computational and qualitative elements
• Case studies and interpretive work
• Computational studies involving big datasets

Minitrack Co-Chairs:

Alexandra Kees (Primary Contact)
University Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
Email: alexandra.kees@h-brs.de

Aron Lindberg
Stevens Institute of Technology
Email: aron.lindberg@stevens.edu