Satisfaction and Coordination in Virtual Communities

The concept of virtual communities and organizations has received much attention in recent times as a new organizational form which increases the independence and flexibility of individuals. However, these communities present challenges with regards to management, social interaction and structure which could affect the overall satisfaction levels of participants within these communities. The goal of this study is to identify some factors related to member satisfaction in open source projects. We investigate the relationship between intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, project coordination, project characteristics and group trust, on the intrinsic and extrinsic levels of satisfaction of members in the community. A pilot study was conducted in which members of open source software communities were surveyed via a questionnaire. The results offer some insights into the attitudes and behaviors of members of the communities. Practical implications, limitations and future research are provided.